


Guardian Agent

by DarkJediQueen



Category: James Bond (Craig movies)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Angst, Kid Fic, M/M, Murder, Romance, assassinations, canon level violence
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-01
Updated: 2018-08-01
Packaged: 2019-06-20 04:17:55
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 15
Words: 59,817
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15525882
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DarkJediQueen/pseuds/DarkJediQueen
Summary: When James was falling off of the train in Turkey, he watched his life flash before his eyes and all he could see was the man he had been forced to watch from afar, the young man who had never betrayed James, even if he never knew that James existed. The young man who was living in James's flat when James finally returned to duty after faking being dead. This is the story of how James made that man the most important person to him.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Rigel99](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rigel99/gifts).



> **Year** : Pre-Skyfall Through Spectre
> 
>  **Warnings** : Canon Level Violence, Murder, Assassinations,
> 
>  **Beta** : Grammarly

_July 1995_

James Bond looked at the woman who got out of the helicopter with an entourage of two men and a human guard dog. The first man to get close to the prisoner who was hogtied on the wooden planks of the dock was the man who was about James's height with green eyes and sun-bleached light brown hair. The man grinned at him. He was the guard dog, a barely leashed man who oozed danger. James sized him up.

"Lieutenant Commander Bond?" The man asked.

"Yes."

"We were told that you were the one to subdue this man," the woman said.

"Yes, Ma'am."

"Your Commander told me that no one else realized that the man didn't belong. He was in a uniform that should have had you saluting and not punching him. Why did you?"

"We had just taken on a diplomatic team that had several officers from the US Navy. However, this man was not one of them. I knew their faces before they stepped on board. After the man was subdued and we sent his picture to MI5 as we suspected he was a terrorist, we got the notification that the Admiral that he was parading as was found dead in his room."

"Hmmm. You are young to be a Lieutenant Commander."

"Yes, Ma'am."

"How did you get that rank that quick?"

"Ma'am, no disrespect intended but if you are asking the question, you already know the answer. I was told to wait here to drop off my prisoner to the Head of MI6. I've done that. I would rather get back to my ship." James had no time to dilly dally around. He had to get back to figure out how the terrorist had got on board and to make sure that it never happened again.

"I like you. His name is Julies St. Clair, and he's a British citizen who has decided that whoring himself to Russia is the best way for him to make money to make sure that his child gets what he wants out of life. His job was to kill the Commander of your ship and probably you as well to send everyone into a panic. You did well."

"I know that, Ma'am." James gave the woman a grin. Commander Stout had told him to hand over the prisoner and not ask questions. Given that this woman was the Head of MI6 he had done his job. Two Sergeants in the skiff would take him back to his ship out at sea.

"James Bond, orphaned at age eleven. Custody was given to his father's closest friend who died not long after which then you went to your Great Aunt. Went to Eton for two halves before being kicked out. Tried the University of Geneva before signing up for the military. Mouthy officer but good at his job. Protective of your men and would rather get injured than see them injured. Your Commander dislikes you personally but loves you as an officer."

James said nothing, just stared at the woman.

"You can call me M. If you ever want a job, I'll have one waiting for you at MI6."

James didn't stop his laughter that bubbled up. He liked the Royal Navy and never saw himself leaving it. He was content in ways that he had never been before. M looked at him very strangely.

"I would not hold your breath, M. I don't see myself leaving the Navy anytime soon."

"We shall see. Just remember."

James nodded. He watched as the guard dog motioned at the two other men who came up and split the ropes around the terrorist's ankles and stood him up. M stepped up to the man. The man had spent the entire boat ride begging to be released. James had stuffed a nasty rag that in the bottom of the skiff into his mouth to shut him up.

"You want to know the funny thing, Mr. St. Clair?"

The man tried to say something an M just grinned at him.

"You find yourself to be a clever man, but you are not. Not when an eight-year-old child figures you out and turns you in."

The man lunged at M then, and the guard dog just laughed before backhanding the man. His head spun to the side so quick that James's neck started to ache in sympathy. James had fought with the man after he had punched the man. The man was already covered in bruises.

"006," M said.

006, the guard dog, stepped up and yanked the rag and the binding holding it in off the man's head and out of his mouth.

"You lying BITCH!" The man screamed.

"No. I'm not lying. Your son turned you into MI6. Left information on a page that we monitor for terrorist activity as well as his address. We have him in custody and will be placing him with a family soon. A loyal family."

"My son would never do that."

M held out her hand, and 006 dropped a piece of paper into it. She showed it to the man. The man's body sagged into the arms of the two men holding him.

"You are going to go into a dark hole and never come out, and your son is the one that put you there. If you aren't executed for treason. Then you'll be a nameless, faceless body in a hole. See if it were me, I would leave you alive so that you can remember that your son is the one that put you there after your job killed your wife, his mother. That's the whole reason that he did it. He didn't want to be next." M stepped up, and 006 lifted the head of the man to stare her in the face. "Get this piece of trash out of here."

The three men started away with 006 following behind.

"Just remember James Bond. I have a job for you at MI6 whenever you decide you are done on ships." M turned and started toward the helicopter as it's blades started up again.

James stood there on the dock and waited until the helicopter was s speck of dust on the horizon.

Two days later, the ship was docked for supplies and a few days RR for the crew. James was enjoying being around non-military people for however long it would last.

"Bond right?" A voice asked.

James looked up into the mirror that stretched along the wall of the bar that he was in and saw the guard dog, 006, standing there grinning at him. 006 sat down and slapped James on the shoulder.

"Does M want me that bad?" James asked.

"Oh, no. I read over your file on the flight from London to pick up St. Clair. I wanted to see if your days of having fun were like my days of having fun. I know a better bar just a few blocks over. Runs to a more loose clientele."

"Loose?"

"The women are looser, except where you want them to be, and the men don't mind being hit on."

James stared at 006 using the mirror. That part of James life, no one knew. No one inside of the Royal Navy even had an inkling. James might have been kicked out of Eton for women trouble, no one had ever caught him with a boy classmate even though he had already started with them.

"Don't worry. M won't rat you out to the Navy."

"But she'll send you to entice me into something stupid to get caught?"

"I don't swing that way unless ordered, Jameska and I wasn't ordered to swing that way today."

"Hmm." James stared at the man for a few seconds. "What’s your name?"

"Alec Trevelyan and yes that's my real name. M likes the look of you, but she would rather have your loyalty than your body after being coerced. She likes loyalty."

"What's she going to do with the kid?"

"He was taken in by a loyal family who has no ties to MI6. M just made sure that he's properly cared for as it was his price for turning in his father."

James said nothing, but he downed his beer and stood up. He had already paid for it, so he turned to leave. He felt more than heard Alec start to follow him. When they were free of the bar, Alec slung his arm over James's shoulder and began to direct him where to go. James thought about the boy who turned in his father because his father had, by indirect means, got his mother killed. James could understand that. MI6 probably would have done anything the boy wanted, but all he wanted was a place to feel safe. James knew that feeling well.

"So what do you like to do for fun?" James asked.

"A little of this, a little of that. This place we are going to. They have very nice women and very nice rooms. Enough to get the dust knocked off of you."

"Hmm." James thought about that, a warm wet mouth on his cock as well sinking himself down into a woman for the first time in months. He didn't have any sheaths on him. He didn't do sex without them. James saw no shops that would sell them on the way, but as they stepped in, Alec slipped a few over to James.

"Thought you might want one or two. I bought them on my way to where you were after I followed you there."

James wasn't sure that he trusted the MI6 agent but a good time was too good to pass up.

_July 1, 1999_

James had purchased a storage unit a long time ago. His money that was in a trust for him was nice enough that he could stay at a hotel when he was in London for extended periods, which he tried to not have happened too often in his military career. It was easy to store all of his things that he had from his ship posting into the storage unit and then make his way towards Vauxhall Bridge and where his new life was going to start.

Pulling on the sleeve of his suit jacket, James prepared himself for what he was about to do.

There were a lot of food options, and James found a nice little Thai place that at least smelled close to what he was used to when dining in Thailand while at sea. He watched the workers of MI6 come and go. Seeing many there did not look like Alec looked or acted like Alec acted but there were two that he watched leaving who actually joined him in the restaurant. They acted exactly like Alec did, a caged animal that ordinary people didn't understand what was so scary about them but stayed away just the same. As good as they were acting like predators they were not that good at realizing when someone was watching them.

James laughed to himself as he finished his meal and watched the Agents more and more overtly. No wonder M wanted him. If this was the best that she had. James paid for his food and left. Knowing that he would be getting to Vauxhall just after everyone was coming back from their lunches.

The guard took his ID and wrote down his name. He was put through a metal detector as well as a wand search, which made him raise his eyebrows at what the wand was going to catch that the other sensor didn't, but he submitted to it. Then he was shown to a room that had a few magazines and a romance book in it. There were seven different cameras in the room, and James made sure that each one knew that he saw it, even the one that was in the button of a chair with a rip in it. James marveled at the person who did that. No one was going to sit in the ripped chair so it was perfect for a camera that not many would find.

An hour later, James decided that he had enough of waiting. He slinked to the door and opened it, finding a person walking past him.

"Where's the restroom?"

"Down the hall, third door on the left," the person said in a rush before near running away from him. James watched them turn the corner before he went to the bathroom. James set himself up in a stall and waited for someone else to come in and use the bathroom. James flushed after they did and stepped out just after to wash his hands. He nodded at the man in the mirror and took just about fifteen seconds longer to wash his hands than normal so that he could exit behind the man and follow him.

The man never realized that he was being followed, and especially not close enough to follow him through doors that he shouldn't be able to get in. James went up and circled around the building until he found an area manned by a desk that was empty and a room behind. There he found what he was looking for. M's office. James looked around, nosing where he didn't belong and reading over things that he really shouldn't be reading. The names meant nothing to him as most of the documents used code names. Numbers like 006 and generic terms like Head of Station H instead of their actual names.

After about a half an hour, James was bored of snooping, so he sat down with a tumbler of M's best scotch in hand and waited. There was a chair in the corner of the room that gave him the view of the office but blocked him from anyone seeing him until they were pretty far into the room. James figured that M used it as a way to scare those who were coming in already afraid.

Three glasses later, James knew that he should stop so he sipped the last glass and realized that almost two hours had gone by since he had stepped into the room. He would have thought that someone would have tracked him this far and found him, taking him into custody. Either they hadn't tracked him, or they thought that he had left. Either one was stupid as hell.

The door opening had James sitting up and draining the dreg of the glass before setting it down and not making a single sound.

M entered first with a woman following behind her. The woman had a stack of papers in hand.

"Your next meeting was rescheduled since that one ran over. Also, security alerted me that Commander Bond arrived to talk to you and he was shown to the waiting room. When his escort arrived to pick him up to bring him up here to you, they found him gone."

"How the hell can my security misplace a person?" M demanded to know. "This is the most secure building inside of London besides Buckingham. How the hell can security not find him?"

"They assumed he left and then they realized that he didn't go out the doors, so they are tracking him now."

"It's easy to hide when one knows how to act like they belong and they know where they are going," James said as he leaned back in his seat and crossed his legs. M spun around to glare at him while the aide lady screamed.

"I'll take that job you offered, M."

"What the bloody hell are you doing in here?" M demanded to know.

"I got bored, and after seeing two more of your Double-O's eating out and not realizing that I had been watching them, I wanted to see how far I could get inside of here. Seems I got pretty far. Good thing I wasn't an assassin."

"Leave," M said looking at the aide. She scrambled out of the room as fast as she could.

"006 said that you were good at blending in. I had also got the notification that you had been discharged. One year exactly as a COmmander. What made you leave?"

"I realized that I was only in the Navy to prove to someone who has probably forgotten about me that I could do it. You sending Alec was a perfect bit of forethought."

"I know people, and while I don't think that you'll calm down at all, I think that someone like you will fit in perfectly here." M walked around her desk and opened the safe that James hadn't even tried to get into. James stood up and moved to the chair that was in front of M's desk. M turned and tossed a file onto the desk right in front of where he was sitting. "THat's your hiring packet. Read it over and sign if you want. If you do, I'll have 006 show you to your new flat. It's on the same floor as him. The building is all MI6 staff from various branches and many security levels. We try and make sure an active agent is in a building with higher staff, better response time when they are on our soil."

James said nothing, but he picked up the file and read it over. Standard agent but covert missions were the top for what he did, hence why a flat was part of his hiring packet. There was no mention of him becoming an agent like Alec.

"What about becoming like Alec?"

"That's discussed down the road. It takes ten years usually to become a Double-O. I don't stick random assed people in my elites. Don't worry though, I'm sure that you will do fine as an agent. Boothroyd already has your first mission, and it's in two weeks. In that time you and 006 can get you moved into your flat from your storage building." M sat down and opened up a file as James signed the packet, signing his life away for Queen and country. "One word of warning."

"Yes?" James asked as he stood up.

"006 likes fire too much for what Psych thinks should be healthy. Don't let him burn down your flat."

James took her looking down as his dismissal. He nodded even though she wasn't looking and turned to leave. A man was waiting for him outside of M's office. He wasn't a guard, but the gun in a shoulder holster said that he was an agent of some kind.

"Commander Bond, my name is Jamison, and I'm the senior agent for MI6 training. If you will follow me, I'll gladly take you to start qualifying for field duty."

"Perfect."

* * *

There was nothing like coming home to a place that James could actually call home. Between the training of the last week and qualify for field duty, James and Alec had got little more done than just getting everything from James's out of storage. There were boxes all over the living room and much more in the bedroom.

James had unpacked his clothes, and that was about it. His mattress was on the floor, and he didn't care as it was fine to sleep on. He wasn't used to his old lifestyle again yet. He still woke at the same time he always had in the Navy and worked out and took a run before showering and getting ready. Suits to go to work in and then changing there into clothes to train in. There were no formal classes as there were not crops of new agents that turned over like clockwork. Instead, there were daily classes that work on stamina and the like that even had a few non-agent personnel in them. James could tell the geeks apart from the pencil pushers and the number crunchers.

MI6 was a blend of all walks of life, and for James, it was a kind of Heaven. It didn't take long to realize that sexuality wasn't taboo here like it was everywhere else. He caught men flirting with women and women flirting with women and men flirting with men. He heard two male agents having sex in the showers one afternoon and was confident that in one of the offices, someone was making a woman scream in pleasure. James didn't like to find pleasure where he worked. On the ships was different. If they were out too long, your hand got tiring, and there were those that were okay with hand jobs just because it was a different hand.

James liked flirting, but he never did more than that. He figured out those who understood that flirting was a game and those that took it as a serious interest. He stayed away from the latter.

The knock on the door shocked James as Alec was out of town as of a few hours before. James almost didn't answer it. When the knock sounded again, James groaned and forced himself up. He had not taken off the suit yet, so he made sure that he looked good. He didn't even bother with the peephole but opened up the door.

"Hello, James," the woman said.

James said nothing because he had no clue who the hell she was. Instead, he leaned against the doorframe and looked her up and down. Her dress was beautiful and pricey. She was a woman of very high means and wasn't afraid to flaunt it.

"Alec told me that you were a hard one. My name is Tiffany, and I live in the penthouse flat here in the building. My husband is out of town, and I was looking for a fun night. So, why don't you come up with me to my flat and we can discuss it?"

"Alec told you?"

"Alec told me of your preference for dalliances with married women. As long as I stay true to my husband when he is in town, he doesn't care what I do when he is gone. Alec doesn't do married women, no matter what so I've had to find my own men for a while. You though, living so close and being so handsome, I think that you and I can become good friends. I might even introduce you to some of my friends who want sex with someone like you."

James knew that she wasn't lying. She was a damned good truth teller at that. James wondered what else Alec had told Tiffany.

"So you want a shag?" James asked.

"Oh, you like crude do you?" Tiffany asked. She grabbed James's tie and pulled him close. "I want you to take me upstairs, strip me naked, and fuck me hard and fast and when we feel like it after we eat some dinner, we can do it again. I won't be upset if you leave my bed before I wake up either."

James gave Tiffany a smile. This he could work with.


	2. Chapter 2

_January 2001_

James knew that he was in for a bollocking. Still, he strode into MI6 with a smirk on his face and the attitude that he had done nothing wrong. The intel supplied to him was faulty, and he knew it from the start of the mission. He had told his handler that it was wrong, but that handler had done nothing to correct that before James had arrived in Russia. The handler had not even told anyone else.

Cutting himself off from MI6 was going to get James in trouble, and he knew it, no matter how messed up the mission was but James had done it and he had no regrets. He would take the licks that M gave him and drink them off at a bar before finding one of his string of married women to fuck.

"M wants you now," Villiers said as he met up with James in the hall leading to Q-Branch.

"Last mission she said I was to return my equipment first before running around the halls. So tell me, Villiers, where am I supposed to go?" James knew that M wanted him and wanted him now but following her orders, despite her new orders was a little bit of a game to him. James opened the doors to Q-Branch and dropped his things in the return tray that the Quartermaster had designated for returns. James was glad to be rid of what he had left, which was little. The radio was long. His spare magazines had been used to keep a door open that he needed to get back through when the mission had taken him from Russia to China. The exploding pen that Q had given him had been stuffed in the shirt of a man that had not survived the resulting explosion. The Walther that James had been given was a twisted mess, but still, James had at least brought it back.

Villiers was standing outside the branch with a frown on his face. James hated him more than M's last aide. Of course, Villiers had been on vacation and that aide had only been a stand-in while he was gone. Villiers was like a son to M, but that didn't stop James from ruffling his feathers.

James was escorted right into M's office. She was working on paperwork, and Villiers shut the door without entering himself. James sprawled in the chair that was across from M and stared at his nails, waiting for her to acknowledge him.

"I have your next assignment ready," M said after fifteen minutes. She handed over a picture and James took it, his eyebrows raised a little because he was expecting to be yelled at.

"Looks a little young to have done anything worth MI6 taking notice of him."

"His name is Walmond, and he's been on our radar since he was eight. He's in college now, early acceptance. Finish his A-Levels with perfect marks across the board. He's thirteen, and he is attracting too much attention from people who want to use him for nefarious means. I want him for MI6 when he's old enough. From now until I can stand the sight of you, you are going to be his hidden bodyguard. No killing of anyone, you do not have a license to kill yet, Bond. You are to make sure that no one who gets close to him is a spy for another country. I will not have one of the smartest minds from England seduced to work for the Americans."

"And all I get is a picture?"

"No. I have his full file. I just wanted to talk to you about him first. Before I gave it to you."

"What did he do to get on your radar?"

"Hacked an MI6 linked site."

Those words tickled something in James's brain. He thought back to when he first met M and the man who had tried to kill the Brass on James's ship. He frowned because the age was right for that kid. M had said that he was safe and being looked after. James wondered if regular field agents had been the ones to look after the kid.

"Walmond St. Clair?" James asked.

"Yes. I'm glad you remember. We are doing covert watching on him. He knows nothing of it, and he will know nothing of it."

"Are you afraid of him turning or be someone to watch?"

"As he is right now? No. The family who took him in, while he did not develop a love for them, the adored him. He was raised well after turning in his father. I am not worried about him turning against England, even if he was to find out MI6 has been watching him. I am afraid that he'll be seduced to go to another country for his education. I made sure that he got into a good university for his education. He was given grants and many scholarships to be sure that he didn't turn to nefarious things to get the money he needed for his education."

"So I'm to be a hidden guard dog?"

"Until such a time that I feel you are fit for doing a mission the correct way, yes."

James knew that he could fight it. However, he was intrigued by the kid. He wanted to see the kid that at eight years old turned in his father for treason.

"What did you ever do with the father?"

"He was executed under the order of the Queen last year. Before that, I was keeping him updated on his son every few months. The man was a pit of anger. I'm upset because I would rather have played with him for years to come, seeing him as his son flourished and his anger grew. However, I had my orders."

"Does Walmond know?"

"That his father died? Yes. The life insurance policy on him was massive. He had bought it so that if his job killed him, his wife and child would be cared for. It was put into a trust by the insurance company. He's given a modest amount to live on, but the company isn't even letting him touch it for schooling. There is little that I can do because it would draw attention to him for terrorism and that would not do well for Walmond. So I make sure that he is taken care of."

"You want him for MI6."

"Yes. His skills with a computer are very much worth being coddled into something that can benefit the country. I already know where his loyalties lie."

"So what all am I supposed to do?"

"You'll have a dorm on campus and enough of a cover to get you into classes when you need or want to. Your cover identity is very close to your actual. Discharged Navy man who is getting into business technology. The school is willing to give you whatever you need."

"You know I joined the Navy to get out of going to college right?"

"I'm well aware of that. You'll do this or I will fire you from MI6, Bond."

James grinned at M and stood up. She pointed at a stack of files. James grabbed them and left. He found an office that wasn't in use at the moment and barricaded himself inside to start to read over the files. James was intrigued by the information on the classes that Walmond was taking. James realised that a lot of it could help him when Q-Branch failed what he needed for a mission. James was mainly sent on information gathering missions since he was not allowed a license to kill yet.

Staffordshire University, campus location of Stokes-on-Trent was a location that James had never been before, bot work or pleasure. James looked at what he was being kitted with and realised that he was going to have to forgo his suits. James did not like the clothing listed for him and decided to go on a shopping trip of his own. He needed more casual things, and after he was done with his babysitting duty, it would be easy to just slide the clothes into his own.

James frowned at the background on his character and realised that it made no sense. Richard Sterling's background was very close to James's, sole heir to a family estate that netted a good bit of money and the clothes he was to wear were not up to standards that a trust fund child would wear. James understood code names and other minute like that, but Q-Branch needed to understand the roles that they were giving people if they really wanted to keep them undercover.

Using his login, James accessed the internal email service and emailed M and Q what he was going to be doing for the afternoon, and he made sure to explain why. He did not wait for an email response before he logged out and then left the office with his files. James dropped the files on Villiers desk while the man was gone from it before leaving MI6. He had a lot to do and not a lot of time to do it.

* * *

January was a weird time to start classes, but at least it wasn't part of the way through the semester. It only took James a day to figure out where all of his classes were and to casually find Walmond before classes started for the day.

At six in the morning, while on his run, scoping out the campus, James expected to be alone. A few people were stumbling back to their dorms after a night of partying and debauchery but to see someone else running was a shock. James had on headphones, and he tried not to seem like he was staring when he ran past the other person who was looking to be on their cool down portion of their run. It wasn't until the person moved their head up at the sound of James's feet hitting the pavement that James realised that it was Walmond. That explained why James had not found in the cafeteria that evening. James had gone way too late.

James gave no nod of greeting and just kept on running. The path that he was one was half of a mile, and he had planned on branching out elsewhere, but he stayed on the track instead. On James's next pass of Walmond, the kid was doing yoga. It was too cold for that kind of thing, but still, there Walmond was in a yoga pose in the middle of January. Another two passes by James and Walmond was done with yoga and looked like he was getting ready to run. James wondered if what he thought was cool down was, in fact, warm up. He would have to get out earlier the next day to see.

The first class of the day started, and James was thankful that none of the professors made a big deal about him starting late. Walmond was front and centre in that class. James watched him and listened to the professor as he droned on about technology. Walmond seemed to be latched onto every single word while the rest of the classes seemed to be sleeping. James's seat was directly behind Walmond but in the last row inside the room. He could see everything from that point.

Between classes, what little time there was as Walmond took every class that he could, the kid would eat a small snack and work on homework. No one talked to him.

By three in the afternoon, James realised that to keep himself sane, he was going to have to pay attention in classes and actually attempt to be a good student. The first class of the day held no interest, so James spent it working on the homework from the other classes.

James knew that he did not have the patience to actually get really good at hacking and computer technology, but he could learn enough to give him an edge.

Walmond was the most boring person in the world. It took a single week for James to figure out his routine. Monday, Wednesday, and Friday Walmond ran and did yoga outside. Tuesday and Thursday he didn't leave his dorm room until it was time for classes. He did not eat lunch any day but snacked between all of the classes. Breakfast was always eaten in Walmond's room. Supper was in the cafeteria but eaten right at the start of the supper period.

M had done an excellent job of picking the room that James was put in because while it was in the same building, it was on a different side. James had a view of Walmond's room that with the help of a camera and a good zoom, James could watch Walmond without staring at the window. Walmond never shut his curtains and seemed to dress in the dark.

James wondered how long M was going to keep him there. Probably until the end of the term as before would look weird and draw attention, especially if he was swapped with someone else. Still, James knew that he had to do something for himself while stuck on the mission. Or he would go nuts.

Age wise, James was separate from a lot of the other people. He was thirty compared to twenty like the majority of the people on campus. It meant finding a way to blend in but not too much so that he wasn't getting hit on by college-age girls. James wouldn't mind seniors doing it, but it seemed to the eighteen-year-olds that did.

Villiers came to visit James after James had sent an email about his mission that had M sending Villiers to talk t him. James had been on campus for a month, and so far the only person he had bedded had been a lady from the accounting office. James had met her at a pub near campus, and they had hit it off. Her husband was out of town, and she was lonely. M was not happy.

"What does the battleaxe want now?" James asked as he sipped his beer at the same pub as Villiers sat down.

"You to not fuck any more people who work at the college."

"I see." James leaned forward grinning.

"You know the nice thing about doing something that I know she won't like?" James asked.

Villiers leaned back looking scared. He only shook his head.

"I did not put in my daily report that I had fucked anyone. So that means someone is watching me, at least some of the time."

"We have a plant in the registrar's office to keep an eye on the managerial side of things. She saw you leave with the woman and the woman talked about the man she bedded. Thankfully no one realises you are a student and even if the board for the school finds out, there is little that can be done. Just stay away from college staff."

"So M does want me on this long-term?"

"Yes. For now. The last agent didn't even last a month, the one before three. The one before that didn't even last the summer. Walmond is a boring child for watching but his online presence is getting more and more intriguing and it's just a matter of time until he starts to shine there and when he is in the class."

"Walmond's psych profile is wrong you know that right?" James asked.

"What do you mean?" Villiers asked.

"The profile types him as a loner, but that's not correct. His time on his computer in his room isn't just working on school work. He laughs too much. No matter what Q-Branch is monitoring on that end, he's not offline. He's doing something online and making sure that no one knows. Instead of worrying about who I am bedding, I would worry about that because recruitment isn't just a person to person thing now. It's happening online."

"You seem to understand him a bit better than psych does."

"He's obviously a genius. I had an ensign who was. Joined the Navy to figure out what he wanted to do with his life. He ended up getting in his starting years before taking time off to get a degree before he wanted to start to design ships. The kid made leaps in logic that astounded me. I had to make sure that no one beat him up. Walmond is in college at thirteen. No one here on campus is close to his age, five years between him and the rest of the freshman class. He's isolated so online is his only option."

"So we need a better psych team?"

"We need at least a member of staff that deals with genius level intellect. The tech portion of espionage is only going to grow. To be better than the rest of the world, we will need smart people like Walmond."

"And you?" Villiers asked.

"I'm not a genius," James said.

"I am not sure about that." Villiers stood up and nodded before leaving. James watched him go and tried to remember why he hated the man. He was easier to deal with than M. There was something about the man that made James's skin crawl. James looked around the pub. He would have to find a better place to find a woman. This catered to the University kids, and he didn't want that. James would take a run at locations on the weekend.

This could be the worse assignment or the best, it just had to be what James made it to be. He would find a way to make it a good one. Most of the classes would at least teach him something. The general ones were snoozers, but he didn't have to complete work. He was basically auditing with as much leeway as he wanted. He wasn't going to get a degree, but he could at least learn something to help him in the future.


	3. Chapter 3

_September 2001_

With the start of a new school year came a new dorm room, this time right next to Walmond's, sort of. Their rooms shared no walls, but Jame could see Walmond's window from his as they were in a corner that had a walled-in courtyard inside of it. Someone from Q-Branch has set up the equipment to watch over Walmond and even got him a key that would work in any room in the building. James, of course, had already picked the lock into Walmond's room and been inside already, but the key made it easy for leaving no evidence.

Classes were much the same, James hated the required ones and was at least enjoying the computer ones. Many were in the same classes as they had the same career, so it was easy for James to hide from Walmond. The kid was oblivious to most everyone around him.

James was shocked though when two weeks into classes, Walmond had a party in his dorm room. Two weeks later, Walmond was at a party at a house near campus. James was thankful that he had heard Walmond agreeing to go when he was studying between classes. James made sure that he had his gun on him, in a back holster and tucked under his shirt.

It seemed to be a party for most of the campus and James had a little trouble keeping track of Walmond in the crowd. Walmond stayed away from the alcohol, grabbing sealed bottles of drink instead of anything that was poured into a cup.

Three hours into the party and James realised that Walmond was there for a single reason, to watch. James found a spot on a stair that had a good view of the first floor and Walmond. Walmond watched people as they made out, as they danced, and once as a couple had sex in a room after leaving the door shut.

James reevaluated what he thought of the party that Walmond had in his dorm room. A woman walked up to Walmond and James made sure to watch carefully what was happening. Walmond was a stool in the corner, and there were no other chairs, so it meant that she had to stand. Walmond reared back from her, and from the look on his face when he spoke, he wasn't happy with her. The woman walked away after a short time.

"Want to go up into the rooms and really have a party," a female voice asked James. James turned to look at a man and a woman standing there on the landing.

"Two is a party, and three is a crowd."

The woman huffed but allowed the man to prod her away. James turned back to see that Walmond was not where James had last seen him. James stood up and started down because Walmond was not in sight at all. James had let himself be lured into a false sense of security. Walmond never did anything stupid like that at all. Then again he was fourteen years old and was at a party.

There was a bedroom on the first floor, and it was where James looked first. James found a couple having sex, different than the one that Walmond had watched but no Walmond. James found the back door and looked back inside. There was only a single set of stairs and James had been on them. The only other options were the front door and the back. While there was some partying happening on the front porch, most of it was in the back. James stepped out into the backyard. The kid whose house this was had money or more likely his parents had money and were out of town for the night.

James spent ten minutes in the backyard; the only lights were fairy lights along the fence, so it took him a while to look at every single face. James was getting worried. He hated this job that he was given, but it was comfortable. It was simple, and James was learning a lot of things that he never would otherwise.

Giving up, James started toward the fence and found that there was a small group of people just on the other side. James raked his eyes over all of them, and then he noticed that there was a huddled person on the ground. The mop of hair told James that he had found Walmond. James stepped away, moving toward where a small group of people was sitting around a little garden in the side yard.

James didn't like the look of the group. He knew their type well, drug users. James knew his orders he was not to interact with Walmond at all. M wanted him protected from outside people trying to pull him into working for them. She said nothing from saving him from himself for doing stupid shit, but if he went down the path that started with drugs, he would never get to be an asset for MI6.

"No," Walmond shouted as he tried to stand up. One of the others shoved him back down. Walmond tried to shove the man away, but he was very uncoordinated. Even after being awake for three days working on papers, Walmond was never like that.

James stood up, mentally telling M to go fuck herself before he started over toward the group. One of the larger men stood up and glared at James.

"Go away."

"Not without the kid."

"He's fine."

James waited until the man got close before he punched out, taking the man out at the gut. James grabbed his neck as he hunched over and pulled until the man fell.

"I'm leaving with the kid, one way or another. How you are at the end of that, I don't care."

The other three scattered and James could tell that they were very high.

"What did he take?"

"Dexedrine," one of them said before they were gone.

James looked at Walmond who looked glassy-eyed. Walmond looked up at him with a strange look on his face. James hoped that Walmond didn't remember a single bit of this. James knew that Dexedrine was easy to get. It was prescribed for ADD and ADHD. Drugs, James was well versed in drugs, whether legal or illegal.

"Hello," Walmond said.

"Hi. So why don't we get out of here?" James asked as he held out his hand. Walmond stared at the hand for almost a minute before he held out his hand. James could hear the man he had punched getting up, so he turned to look. The man was at least smart enough to start to wander away instead of going after James.

The man stopped though and turned to look at James.

"Don't be gentle. He might be a virgin, but he wants a rough ride," the man said, and if it weren't for Walmond putting his hand in James's, James would have gone after him. He would be putting in the man's description into his newest report email so that M could forward the information to the proper authorities. There was no way that Walmond was the first.

"You are handsome," Walmond said.

"Thank you." James wondered how much Walmond had taken.

"What's your name?" Walmond looked at James like he was trying to look into his soul. James had to laugh mentally because with how high the kid was, he wasn't going to be able to look into anything too hard.

James thought for a second before deciding to go with the truth. "James."

"I'm Q."

"Q?" James asked. There was nothing in the file about Walmond that mentioned that. Q was the fond nickname that the whole of MI6 had for the Quartermaster, currently Major Boothroyd.

"It's a secret," Walmond whispered before he stumbled and fell into James.

"Why don't we table that secret until I get you home." James didn't know what the best way to get Walmond back to his dorm was. They were only a few blocks from the main entrance, and there were many ways, but the best ways, the ways that were over concrete were longer than the ways through the campus which was mostly grass and would trip up the kid.

Walmond was gripping James's shirt to keep himself up and when James gripped his shoulders to help him stand, James felt the little shit's hand reach around and grip James's arse. James shoved him back a little harder than he should have and Walmond went down with a pout on his lips.

"You pushed me!" Walmond shouted.

"I'm sorry," James said, not meaning it at all. He reached over with his hand and held it out. Walmond took it but near screamed when James used it to not only pull him up but to bend a little and put Walmond over his shoulder. James felt fists bang on his back and arse as James started away. It put a point on how much anyone at the party cared about anyone as James walked away with a fourteen-year-old boy who was wiggling and trying to get away and no one stopped him.

A half a block away from the house, Walmond went from trying to wiggle to get away to feeling up James. At first, it was just feeling his arse through the jeans he was wearing, but after another block, Walmond had his hands down James's jeans, then between his skin and his pants. James knew that the drug that Walmond had taken could amp up sexual desire and what fourteen-year-old boy hasn't a walking erection anyway.

James submitted to being felt up by a drugged fourteen-year-old kid because stopping to scare the kid into stopping would just draw attention to them. It was late on a Friday, and while some of the campus was asleep, the lights in dorms said that not everyone was asleep.

Up to the seventh floor of the dorm they went, James still carrying Walmond. James used the steps because it was less likely to have anyone in them. The only ones coming home at this hour would be drunk, high, or both and steps were not friends.

As James pulled out the key to unlock Walmond's room, Walmond tried to get his hands around to the front of James's body. James was glad that he had enough control of himself not to get horny. Walmond's hands were nimble, and it had been too long since James had bedded anyone.

"I'm home," Walmond said with a shocked sound to his voice. James stepped over to the bed and leaned down to toss Walmond onto it. James stood there and stared down at the kid.

"You are home," James said as he turned to leave.

"Don't go," Walmond pleaded, and James heard him moving on the bed. James turned around just in time to dart forward to catch Walmond as he near face planted. "Please."

"You'll be fine. You are alone in here, and I'll lock the door," James said.

"I don't like how I feel. They promised it would feel good, but it doesn't. I don't like this feeling at all. I'm horny, and I don't like it." Walmond had an epic frown on his face, and it stabbed James in the heart a little. "I know you are older and won't do anything. That one was older, and he tried to force me, and then you came, and you saved me. Please don't leave, James. I'll do anything if you don't leave."

James cupped the back of Walmond's head as the kid started to cry. James closed his eyes because crying was something he had never learned how to handle. Walmond had one of the single occupancy dorm rooms that had a built-in bathroom. Walmond was underage and therefore couldn't use the other bathrooms for fear of shit happening. James felt like calling Alec and having him hunt that brute of a college kid for sport, but he would settle for whatever the locals did to him.

"I'll stay until you fall asleep," James promised even though he wasn't sure that Walmond could even hear him. James started to shuffle them toward the bathroom. Walmond allowed James to disentangle them and push Walmond into the bathroom. "Get cleaned up but stay out of the shower."

"Yes, Sir," Walmond said with a giggle as James shut the bathroom door.

James looked around for the small dressed that held clothes and found the one with Walmond's pyjamas. He found one of the oversized shirts and loose bottoms. Walmond didn't always sleep in clothes, but when he did, he always wore oversized ones. James closed his eyes as he opened the bathroom door and set the clothes down inside where the counter was.

"Get dressed," James said before he shut the door again. James set about making the bed and figuring out what he was going to do.

Walmond came out a few minutes later, dressed in clothes that looked like they would fit James perfectly. He looked like a kid dressing in his father's clothes.

"You stayed," Walmond said sounding like he was shocked.

"I did. I said I would, and I did."

"I sleep against the wall," Walmond said as he crawled into the bed. Walmond all but turned into a puddle on the bed, relaxing so much that James wasn't even sure that he was breathing. James knew that he should sit in a chair, but when Walmond's eyes turned to him, and he patted the bed, James gave in.

James settled on top of the blankets, making sure that Walmond was covered up as he had started to shiver. Walmond pressed close to his body. Sleep was the best thing for Walmond right now, and James hoped that he fell asleep quickly.

"I don't like how I feel. I don't like that I have no control. I like control. I like to be able to know what my body is going to do when I do something. I like that I can change things with my hands in predictable ways." Walmond buried his face into the side of James's hip and sighed. James made sure not to touch him. He didn't want anything of this to cement in Walmond's mind.

"At least you know not to do drugs anymore."

"I'm never doing anything stronger than alcohol again," Walmond said his voice strong.

"I'll make you a promise. I'll buy you your first legal drink if you stay away from drugs," James said even knowing that there was no way to guarantee it.

"Deal."

The shivers were subsiding, and James could feel the tenseness in Walmond's body leaving. His breathing was slowing. There was one thing that James wanted to know.

"Q?" James asked.

"Huh?" Walmond's head turned to where his face wasn't plastered to James anymore. "Yes?"

"So the name Q? Where does it come from? I promise I won't tell anyone."

"Before my dad, I played on computers a lot. I had a teacher who called me a question box. He started to call me Query. It's my handle online but some people I let call me Q." Walmond yawned, and his eyes closed again. James said nothing.

After an hour and Walmond hadn't woke up or moved at all, James felt his pulse in Walmond's neck. His pulse was not as slow as it should be but it wasn't racing. James found a rag in the bathroom that was dry and started to wipe down everything. He made sure all surfaces that he had any chance of touching were clean before he put the rag up. James used his shirt to wipe off the knob of the door on the inside and outside after locking it and then pulling it shut.

As soon as James was in his room, he started up the TV that had the surveillance equipment attached to it. He would see if Walmond got up. James made himself a pot of coffee. He could sleep that afternoon for his stupid history class. He had a few classes he could sleep in.

James had an MI6 laptop that gave him access that M thought that James needed. James had learned enough during his schooling to make sure that whatever he accessed left no trace.

Query was in the system, James found after an hour of searching. He was listed as a watch candidate, and that tracking to actual person wasn't needed. James found that the name Walmond used to hack MI6 to give up his father was his real name and a different hacking method. There was no way to connect the two. James understood why Walmond didn't tell many people his nickname. The email to M about the young man along with his picture from the school registry was sent before M would even be in the office.

James watched for Walmond getting up all night. He didn't stir at all until later than normal for him. James left his room at the same time as Walmond, and when he ran into the kid, Walmond looked up at him like he was looking at a stranger. James was glad that nothing of the night stuck.


	4. Chapter 4

_July 16, 2002_

Walmond was a very dull child at university. James hated following him around. Thankfully he had been given a small reprieve for April, May, and June and given a mission that did not revolve around a boring teenager. In the aftermath of his first time trying drugs, Walmond had stuck around his dorm even more. Nights were James was sure the kid wasn't going to go anywhere, James would go out and find a bar to find a woman in to distract him for a portion of the night.

Newham was step up from Stoke-on-Trent, and at least James could fit in better there than a university campus at the age of thirty-four. There were thankfully just enough older university students to where James didn't stick out a like a sore thumb, but he was getting there.

James looked up from his laptop to see that Walmond was still with the group of kids that are around his age. It one of the rare times outside of the morning runs that Walmond still goes on, but now there is a bicycle involved, an early birthday present from his foster parents. It had been gifted to him the moment that he had got home. To the lovely little house that spoke of a loving family if it wasn't for the fact that the man was gone from dawn until dusk and the woman was a housewife who spent more time with everyone but Walmond in the month and a half that Walmond had been home. There was a detached garage, a little bit of an eyesore in the otherwise perfect neighbourhood. It was new, and it had not been there the summer before.

Walmond spent more time in that garage than he did inside the house, in fact when James had gone snooping around, he found that there was a bed and even a hot plate inside of the garage. James didn't even want to question the type of relationship he had with his foster parents that they basically built him a house on the property. Walmond ate dinner with the woman every night, and while dinner was never at the same time, Walmond always left his little garage house to go inside just as she was setting the food down.

The fourth night of that happening had James getting into the little garage while Walmond was eating dinner to see why. There were computer parts and other parts scattered all over tables that were everywhere. All of them were folding and pretty lightweight. James was on his way out when he stopped at the box on the wall by the main door. James pressed the button on it, and he heard talking.

James knew Walmond's voice, and he had heard the woman talk enough to know that he was hearing Walmond and his foster mother in the kitchen. An intercom system allowed the foster mom to call him in for food but never step foot inside of Walmond's area. James popped the cover and saw that it was entirely homemade. He saw wires from various kid toys which James had never seen Walmond play with.

"How is school going? Really?"

"Fine. My classes are keeping me entertained and busy."

"The yoga and running still helping you?"

"Yes." Walmond didn't sound like most teenagers would with their parents asking them questions they didn't want to answer. He actually sounded happy that someone was even asking him.

"I'm glad you are still sleeping through the night."

James was a little shocked at that one. There was nothing in Walmond's file that talked about the fact that he didn't sleep at night.

"Even when I don't want to like exam time."

"How was the tea packages, I keep meaning to ask you and forget every single time."

"Maybe up them by a week? Every three instead of every four. This year I am going to have harder classes and less time so not going to the caf for tea would be lovely."

"I can do that. Biscuits?"

"Don't change that. I don't eat as many but my few friends like a few homemade treats on occasion. Eva is from Scotland, and her mom works too much to bake for her. So she nicks when you send peanut butter ones."

"I'm glad."

There was silence for a while the only sound was clinking of glasses on the table and sometimes the scrape of utensils on plates. James left long before the meal was over, moving back to his house on the opposite side of the street. It was entirely set up for surveillance and James had to wonder how much was inside the house that he didn't have access to.

After being back a half an hour, the house phone rang. James looked at it. The only people who had the number were MI6.

"Hello," James said when he answered the phone.

"Mister Bond, welcome to the neighbourhood," a female voice said. The sound of television was blocking James from being able to place the voice.

"Whom am I speaking with?"

"Gloria Farnsworth."

James stopped because that was the name of the woman who had taken in Q. James said nothing, but he stepped to the front window to see her with the phone to her ear in the matching window.

"There you are. Tomorrow, I will take Q on a trip to the National Gallery. The other agent who was watching him was unable to get inside of Q's garage before he left. I saw you get inside last night during dinner. I think that for the sake of M, you had better see what tech Q-Branch has for you to slip in there to watch him."

James reconfigured his thoughts on this woman. M had said that the couple that had taken Walmond in was not connected to MI6. This said something else.

"Thank you." James hung up before she could say another word. James grabbed the MI6 issued laptop and secured it again so that no trace of what he did was going to track onto the computer. It was the same computer that James had been given at the start of the watch Walmond mission. He had not let Q-Branch have it back and really no one had asked for it back. The whole of the branch probably thought he had destroyed it. James had been using it for classes that he actually gave a shit about doing any work in. James had learned more in the fake university classes that he was talking than he had learned since becoming an MI6 agent.

Gloria Farnsworth was Gloria Farnsworth. She had been born Stella, the only name she knew when she was found during a mission in the sixties. Brought to England because she knew dealings of an organisation that MI6 had been looking into. Granted English citizenship three months later and had been living under the name of Gloria Opal until she married Jack Farnsworth. This was the second child that she and Jack had fostered for MI6, the first sixteen-year-old girl who was lost in the system now and James couldn't trace her.

M liked to keep her secrets close it seemed. James could understand that. Walmond had protection when he was home, and that was all that really mattered. Mrs. Farnsworth though wasn't home all the time during the day, so James understood why an agent was classed with watching him.

_July 18, 2002_

James was shocked to see Walmond leaving the house about twenty minutes after Mrs. Farnsworth left. It was the first time that Walmond had left the house without one of his foster parents with him.

Following Walmond on campus was easy, in the Newham suburb of London, it was harder in the middle of the morning. James didn't have time to figure out anything. He grabbed his backpack that had his laptop inside and followed. He pulled out his phone and dialled Alec. He knew that Alec was home recuperating from a broken leg sustained after he had been knocked out of a window. He had killed his target thankfully.

"What's up, Guv?" Alec asked, sounding half asleep.

"Target is leaving the house and walking so I need someone to talk to and you and I both that it's better to be actually talking to someone."

"Boffin Lite giving you a hard time?"

"No, he's not. Watching him is like watching paint dry."

"Next mission don't cock up again, and M might give you another one."

"I'll do all right if Q-Branch stops fucking up." James watched as Walmond turned a corner and James stayed the same speed, crossing the street. Thankfully so far Walmond was walking toward the central area of the city, and so hopefully it would make it easier to tail him. James wasn't sure what the hell the kid was doing, but it was summer, and as long as he wasn't going to rob a store, James was happy that he was getting out and about. The kid spent too much time at university alone. The kid was going to become one of those creepy men who killed people, and no was really that shocked about it.

"Yeah. So it's been a month since you've had a good update. Want one now?"

"Sure." James had been updated by Alec a month before when James had called him for help on the mission that M had given him.

"009 was killed by Russians, and that damned newbie agent was part of why. Wouldn't stop fucking touching his earpiece. I swear that newbies are getting stupider and stupider by the hour. You were the last one that was good. I told M she needs to seduce more military men and women out, but she won't listen."

"How is 003 working out?" James knew that the new 003 was a stunning woman in the flesh and intelligent and a witty card player. James had played with a few of the Double-O's on occasion. Alec had started inviting him to get at the money he had in trust, but James wondered if it was something more than that. He never asked because he didn't want it to stop. James wanted to be one of the Double-O's one day. He just needed to make sure that he played nice with what M wanted. It was the only reason that he was doing this stupid thing and watching this kid that Mi6 wanted to make sure stayed on the right side of the law to allow him to actually become useful to MI6.

"She's doing well. 008 is about to quit and go back to live on that damned island that he was stationed on for three months to catch the terrorists. Rumor is he found someone there that he fell in love with."

"Interesting." James smiled to himself when he rounded the corner and saw that Walmond was still in sight. James hadn't learned much about the city of Newham because the summer before he had not spent much time in it. M had given him refreshers courses on things, so he was in and out of it. Walmond was heading towards the area of town that James knew a lot of the teens liked to hang out in, which was oddly shocking because Walmond had not seemed the type to hang out with anyone, much less kids his own age.

Another ten minutes of walking and James was treated to a group of teens scattered around in the middle of a clearing of trees on the edge of a park. There were benches spread around, so James figured it was a high point of where teens hung out, so the city added places for them to sit.

"Wallie!" One of the girls yelled as she ran towards Walmond. Walmond hugged her back with a grin on his face. James found a table that gave him a good view of the teens. James faced his laptop away from them and grabbed the webcam that was part of his kit and faced it towards the kids. When James turned it on, he was greeted with a little pop-up screen of the kids.

"So, the kid has friends?" Alec asked.

"It seems that he does. It's very interesting as I have never seen him interact with many people at all. He seems to be quite at home with these people."

"Do you still need me to keep you up on gossip?" Alec asked.

"No. I think that I'll be okay just typing away on the computer now to keep up my facade. If it changes, I'll call back."

Alec said nothing as he hung up the phone. James laughed and opened up the Internet browser on the laptop. He had a secure connection to the Internet anywhere on his laptop thanks to Q-Branch. He liked that and times like this is served him well. James liked to keep up on the world news, and local papers had little of it that didn't impact them. James could hunt for a wide range of papers, but he could find what he needed on the Internet. James didn't try and set up the mic to a catch anything that the kids were saying.

There were seven of them, four girls and three boys. One of the girls was very much a tomboy, and when she wasn't entertained at all by what they were talking about, she was climbing a tree. Two of the girls and one of the boys left around lunch after collecting money from everyone. Half an hour later they came back with burgers from a local joint that James had found that he liked. All seven of them piled on the ground in the middle of the clearing and started to eat. The boxes of chips were shared as well as what looked like onion rings.

The tomboy girl was sitting beside Walmond, and James knew from the way that she talked to him and the way that she smiled at him a lot that she liked him. Walmond was oblivious to that. The kid had no grasp of women when they liked someone, so it wasn't any shock to James. At university, Walmond was the only one that was underage, so anyone taking a liking to him was cause for concern. These kids were already around Walmond's age and in fact, James was pretty sure that Walmond was the oldest.

After lunch, Walmond climbed a tree again with a book in hand. James watched as the other six kids started to talk in hushed tones that didn't carry at all. James was a little worried until the tomboy girl dug into a bush and pulled out a thermal bag. Out of it came a small cake. James frowned as candles were put on it and one of the boys pulled a lighter from his pocket and lit the candles.

The whole of the park was treated to six teenagers singing Happy Birthday wildly off key. Walmond looked up and frowned at his friends but dropped down from the tree. When they were done singing, Walmond blew out the candles. James accessed the file he had on Walmond and realised that he was fifteen that day. James was glad that someone was making something about it.

The cake was handed out piece by piece. Cut by a pocket knife and ate by taking bites and not plates and forks. One of the boys took the trash to a bin near where they were hanging out. James made sure not to look up at all as the teens were all looking around, watching the families in the park.

By two in the afternoon, it was only Walmond and the tomboy girl. They were side by side in one of the trees both reading a book. James could see why she liked Walmond if they were comfortable enough to actually sit and do the same thing without talking. Walmond was probably also the only one that accepted her as she was.

From the new study sessions that James had watched either in Walmond's dorm or in one of the libraries at the university, James knew that Walmond cared little for anything other than someone's ability to not piss him off or treat him like a child.

Walmond and the girl with a crush on him sat there until close to close, reading their books. When both of them were done, they swapped. James ran out of things that interested him on the computer and ended up playing solitaire.

"Walmond," the girl said as they both exited the trees. The mic on the webcam was picking up their words.

"Yes?" Walmond looked up from where he was looking at something in his bag.

"I wanted to give you a present for your birthday."

"You made me a cake, that's enough of a present." Walmond sounded confused, and James felt a little sorry for him. He wasn't prepared for the girl at all. Jame watched as she leaned in and kissed Walmond on the lips. James smiled despite himself as Walmond pulled back, shocked.

James had noticed a single thing about the people that drew Walmond's eye when he was bored. Every single one of them was male. James watched him close as Walmond tried to form words. The girl looked at him with a weird look on her face just as she was looking at him the same. James was lucky that they were both turned towards him a little bit.

"That was...bad," the girl said.

"I'm sorry."

"No. No. I just...being a teenager is hard. I like you, but I don't think that I like, like you. If I did, that would have been...something."

"That was my first kiss," Walmond admitted.

James ducked his head down to make sure that two teens wouldn't see him laughing his ass off. Walmond had made it fifteen years without getting a kiss, and it seemed that this kiss came from the wrong sex of a person.

"I'm sorry it sucked. Can I come hang out tomorrow?"

"Sure. I'll be in my garage working on things. Bring movies, and we can watch or music. I've got those books you wanted to read."

"I'll bring my laptop." The girl smiled before kissing Walmond's cheek. "Yeah, that's a much better kiss. I think that next, I'll try Molly."

"I'm going to stick with my computers."

James snorted, but thankfully it was low enough that those teens didn't turn to look at him. James remembered his own awkward fumblings with a woman in a closet and not even getting to the fun parts before they were found. He also remembered what Walmond had almost had happened to him. If that were Walmond's first kiss, being drugged and used, raped, would have probably put him off every single sex of person for the rest of his life. James vowed to watch him a lot closer from them on when he was there.


	5. Chapter 5

_September 2003_

Walmond turned sixteen with little fanfare. None of the friends that he had spent the year before with was there. In fact, Walmond never left his little garage until he was drug out of there late to go out to dinner with the foster parents. James hadn't followed them into the restaurant but instead for fish and chips and sat outside in his car. He had spent the year since finding out who the foster mother was really doing a few missions here and there, always doing his best on them, well the best that M actually liked.

When Walmond went back to Stoke-on-Trent for university, James followed with a broken arm. The only damage taken during his mission that covered the last two weeks of July and well into the first whole week of August. James was not looking forward to navigating everything at the university with the broken arm, but thankfully the doctor at MI6 who treated him did not give him a hard cast but instead a metal splint and binding so that Jack could unwrap it and take a shower. James had heard the stories that the hard casts were for everyone but Double-O's who tended to remove the hard casts as they were a reliability after the first week or two.

James thought that this year was going to be just a boring as the other years that he had been watching Walmond while the kid was at school but after the first week of classes and Walmond getting dressed on Friday night, James was intrigued. Parties were going on campus-wide to celebrate surviving the first week of classes, and James knew that it was just an excuse for the drinkers to drinks and the partiers to party but the fact that Walmond was going out had James more than a little intrigued.

So James got dressed in a pair of skin-tight jeans and a dress shirt that made his eyes pop as women were wont to tell him. James knew that he looked good and it wasn't distracted by his scars. Women sometimes went crazy for the scars, it gave them a thrill, James assumed.

The club that was chosen was a good one, all ages with safety measures for the ones that could drink and the ones that couldn't. Unlike many clubs, the ones who could drink were the ones with the band. Harder for an underage kid to take off the band and pass themselves off as an overage kid.

Walmond was settled into a booth with a crowd of kids, none of which James had seen him with before. Thankfully, the ones who had drugged Walmond years back were not there. Most of the kids were freshman and looked liked they were at least a little on the good side.

James was glad that Walmond was out, afraid of the stigma of loner and the fact that he could be labelled an issue for later years. James took over a small table that had good line of sight of Walmond's table unless a significant crowd separated them. James settled in with a glass of scotch and watched the people on the dance floor and Walmond out of the corner of his eye.

Walmond was happy and smiling, talking more animatedly than James had seen him, ever.

"Hello, Sailor," a woman said, making James startle a little and turn to look at her. James recognised her as one of the married women he had fucked before, fairly regularly. She was one of the women that used him when their husbands were out of town. James offered her his glass, and she took it, sitting in his lap with her back to the room but not blocking his view of Walmond.

"Hello, Miss Vivienne," James growled at her. She laughed and smiled before ducking down to kiss James. "To what do I owe this pleasure?"

"My husband is in town and has been ignoring me for talking business. I told him I was going to go and have some fun, then I saw you sitting here, and I think that talking and kissing you will make me have fun now, and later when he fucks me like a man possessed for flirting with one of the men I have when he is gone. Serves him right for forgetting me."

"So you are sitting in my lap and getting me hard only to leave me?"

"Such a hard life you lead, James." Vivienne giggled before she ducked down to kiss him again. James kept his eyes open, looking at Walmond to make sure before he closed his eyes to give into the pleasure of the woman who was in his lap.

Despite his best intentions, James was hard by the time that Vivienne was done kissing him. Vivienne grinned at James and grabbed the collar of his shirt to drag him away. James fought it until he saw Walmond getting up to head to the loo. James let Vivienne pull him after her.

There was no one but Walmond in the loo when James opened the door. He shut it and locked it, leaning back against it as he heard Walmond in one of the stalls. Vivienne dropped to her knees after rucking up her dress so that she wouldn't get it dirty on the floor. With James on the door, Walmond wasn't leaving the room without James knowing it.

Vivienne had James's cock out of his trousers in seconds, and her mouth was on him just a second later. Vivienne moaned around his flesh loud enough that James knew that Walmond could hear her. He should have felt bad about trapping the boy in the room while he got his rocks off but at least Walmond wasn't going to slip away from him.

"Fuck," James uttered.

Vivienne's speciality was getting men off without using her hands at all. Her mouth was a dangerous weapon that James loved to be inside of. Her string of lovers had to be vast because her husband didn't like his dick being sucked. If he came, it was inside of her pussy. Vivienne led a depraved life with her lovers, rarely letting them inside of her pussy but enjoying using the two orifices that her husband never used.

"You like this don't you?" James grabbed the back of her head and thrust into her mouth, hard. She had no gag reflex at all, and her throat took James's cock just like a pussy would. "Being a whore on your knees for any man who will fuck your mouth."

James looked up to see if Walmond came out of the stall, he didn't. James could see his feet inside of it. The door was shut, so the boy wasn't even looking. Vivienne's hands were under her dress, pleasuring herself. James knew that he wasn't going to last long at all and he didn't want to. James didn't give her any warning as she sucked him deep and he held her in place as he emptied into her throat. Vivienne moaned as James's cock swelled in her throat.

"You are ever a pleasure," James whispered as Vivienne came on her own fingers. She moaned around his cock, not slipping off of it until she was done coming. Vivienne stood up, licking her lips like she had eaten something wonderful and wanted every speck of it in her mouth. James pressed a kiss to her lips before pulling her close and rubbing his spent cock on her still rucked up dress. He could feel her wetness through her thin underwear.

"As are you, James. I'll call the next time that he's out of town. I'm shocked to see you all the way up here."

"Work takes me everywhere, just like your husband's does him. Are you two staying in town?"

"Yes, he's getting too sloshed to drive. We have the penthouse suite, and I've already paid the maids skin-tight not come in tomorrow."

"Naughty thing you." James brushed his hands down her neck then cupped her breasts. James bent down to lick it through her dress before cupping her sex. Vivienne moaned again, and James knew that he was working her back up just to send her back to her plain jane vanilla husband with her pussy dripping and aching to be filled.

James pushed off the door and unlocked it before opening it. Vivienne grinned as she passed him. There was a small crowd of men wanting in. James didn't go towards the area where the club was but went down the hall some so that he could follow Walmond when he left the restroom.

Walmond came out two minutes later and he looked normal. James followed behind him splitting off as they got near their tables. James took possession of his seat again and grabbed his scotch. He smelled it before taking a sip. He was reasonably sure that it wasn't drugged.

The table was excited to have Walmond back and celebrated with drinks for the over aged ones and water for the others. Walmond was tucked into the side of a young man who looked to be eighteen. James didn't know him by name, but he had seen him on campus.

The young man twisted his head to whisper something in Walmond's ear. Walmond started to blush as the man kept on talking to him. He was turned just enough to where James couldn't read his lips. Walmond started to squirm a little in his seat before turning his head up and nodding.

James watched as Walmond was kissed by a male for the first time. Walmond seemed to enjoy it a great deal more than the kiss he had got the summer before. The young man was coaxing Walmond into a kiss that was borderline indecent for public. It settled down quickly and Walmond was watching people on the dance floor.

After another kissing session, the young man got up to dance on the floor, and Walmond's eyes never left the man at all. Whoever the young man was he was good at seduction.

James watched the young man dance with whoever would dance with him for half an hour, never staying with one male or female for longer than a song. James checked on Walmond between songs before deciding that he wasn't going to get up from the table or take his eyes off of the young man, so James watched the crowd move in time to the music.

It was another half an hour before James turned to look at the table to find Walmond gone. James downed his second glass of scotch and got up to move around to behind the table as another dancer came back. James found the young man in the crowd and realised that it was the same young man. The shirts and hairstyles were close but not perfect. In the dancing crowd, James had missed that.

"Where did Wallie go?" A voice asked at the table.

"Little Wallie went to have some fun in his dorm," one of the girls said with a giggle.

James slipped through the crowd with ease, not bumping anyone who was drunk and was outside in seconds. He oriented himself towards the college and took off at a run. James had been put in the dorm room that was right beside Walmond's that year, so the equipment to spy on him was inside of Walmond's room. James didn't wait to boot up that, instead he picked the lock on Walmond's room and pushed it open slowly.

"Bas," Walmond uttered and gasped. James reached for his gun before he heard a moan. James couldn't tell who moaned, but seconds later both of them did. James slipped the gun back into the holster before shutting the door with a near silent snick.

Letting himself into his room, James settled in front of the computer. He turned the laptop on and waited for the system to entirely startup before he activated the stream of the cameras. The camera could just catch the movement of the young man who was fucking Walmond.

Rethinking what he had in his mind about Walmond, James realised that before Walmond was a loner but it seemed that this year he wanted friends and that included a boyfriend. James sketched out the face of the young man after he turned off the audio and kept glancing at the screen to make sure that they stayed in that damned room.

James had the sketch done and was about to scan it and upload to MI6 to get a name on him when James watched as the young man got up off the bed. James watched him grab pants to slip them on. James turned the sound on again.

"Are you sure you don't want me to stay?" Bas asked. His accent was American, southern at that.

"I'm sure," Walmond answered. The sound was tight and posh and devoid of affection at all.

"They said you were a hard one to crack, Walmond but I didn't think you were the kind to shove me out of bed after sex."

"I had a problem, and now I don't."

"Wow, you really are a cold-hearted little bitch aren't you?"

"And you are not eighteen like you papers say, Christian."

"What?" The sound of shock was even more significant than it had been before.

James was going to wait to see what happened but the accent got thicker.

"You can go back to Langley and tell them that you failed. I made you as CIA as soon as I saw you. Oh, they did well on mirroring your credentials to your own. Graduated two years early and decided to do a year abroad after getting your Masters in computer technology but it was too damned close, and I found a picture of you in your yearbook online. They didn't scrub it all well enough. Tuck your cock between your legs and run."

The sound of the door slamming echoed even into James's room. James picked up his phone and dialled M's direct number at the same time that he turned on the thumping music that he had been given to stop bugs from picking him up.

"Yes, Bond. What is so urgent that you are calling me now?"

"I thought that you might want the news that your plant in the offices here missed a young man being implanted into classes here with Walmond and tried to seduce him."

"You didn't kill him did you?"

"I didn't need to. Walmond has lost his virginity to the CIA agent and sent him packing. Walmond knew exactly who he was. His cover nickname was Bas, unsure of the full first name and the name that Walmond called him was Christian. I'll email the sketch I made of him."

"How could you let him get that close?"

"He's in two classes with us, and your people cleared him. Everyone who is in class with him was supposed to have been vetted. It's the rest of the school that I have to watch out for. Have your people do their damned job before you yell at me for failing at mine. Walmond is in his room, safe and sated." James hung up and glared at the phone before he looked back at the screen. Walmond was going to the bathroom inside the room.

James watched him pad into it, naked as the day he was born. There were no marks on his skin and James was glad of that. He could only guess what the CIA agent's plan was. Hopefully, it was just to seduce and get Walmond to America, but there were worse things that could happen as well.

Understanding now why James was there, he settled down onto his bed with the book for class the next day and started to work on his homework. Walmond came out of the bathroom with a pair of pants on and settled into a chair with his laptop.

The kid didn't move at all for two hours before he finally got up and stripped the bed and laid down with a blanket and no sheets under him.

James didn't feel the urge to sleep but instead watched as Walmond never moved the whole night while James read textbooks.


	6. Chapter 6

_October 2004_

James was thankful that Walmond loudly talked about what he was doing on Halloween. It allowed James to get a costume that covered his face. After the last party that Walmond had been to just over a year ago, James wasn't letting Walmond out of his sight. Walmond had shown no want of going to any party the rest of the year before after losing his virginity to the CIA agent. James had learned nothing of what happened with that, but there were no other agents that James knew of sniffing around Walmond.

M was upset because if the CIA wanted him, there were others who wanted him and she knew nothing of why. According to Q Branch, they had found nothing on him on the Internet or the even the shadier parts of it. The last time that James had checked, MI6 still had nothing on a hacker named Query, and it made James laugh his ass off every time that he checked. James knew that at some point he would have to share that, but he was going to wait until Q Branch clued onto the hacker before he shared that Walmond and Query were the same.

Walmond wasn't the life of the party by any stretch of the imagination but he at least stuck with drinks that he poured himself and that gave James the ability to at least enjoy himself a little. Walmond had learned his lesson at way too young of an age. It was a Sunday, and it was already after nine, and it looked like Walmond was not going to be stopping to go home anytime soon. There were plenty of very nice looking women and a few nice looking men who were dancing to keep James entertained while Walmond sat on the edges and just watched everyone.

As the clock on the wall chimed that it was ten, Walmond moved for the first time in nearly an hour. He moved to where there was a keg and grabbed a glass to fill with the beer from the keg. James watched him and the group of guys that were scattered around Walmond. One of the taller boys poked one who wasn't looking and pointed at Walmond. James could not tell what the men were saying, but it wasn't good when there seemed to be a small fight break out among them before the one who had been poked nodded and grinned. James felt the hairs on the back of his neck stand up. He frowned at the cup in Walmond's hand and stood up.

James was a master at drugging people to get them to allow him places that he shouldn't go and even drug people to just get them out of the way. He had been trained to drug to kill but hadn't been given that licence to kill yet. Still, it wasn't hard to understand that the boys standing around the keg had done something to the cup and while they thought it would be a girl to walk up, one of them wasn't above doing what he wanted to Walmond.

Making it to the small but open kitchen, James knocked into Walmond quickly, making the kid drop his cup. The beer splattered all over the boys who had laced the cup, and one of them looked at James like they wanted to kill him.

"Oh, I'm sorry," James said as he reached for the stack of cups that were still in bags. He opened it up and took out two new cups. James filled one and handed it to Walmond. "Here you go."

"Thanks."

"The name is Richard," James said with a smile that Walmond couldn't see except for the way it was crinkling the little bit of skin around his eyes. Walmond took a sip of the beer and frowned at the taste. James filled his and nodded toward where he had been before. "Talk to me so I can make up for spilling your first drink."

"Okay."

James wrapped a hand around Walmond's shoulder and looked back at the boys. The boys were scattered to the wind, one of them dropping a few cups in the trash. James made sure to know their faces so he could find them in the school registry and get them in trouble.

"What's your name?" James asked as he settled into a chair. Walmond sat on the arm of that chair, his back to a wall.

Walmond looked at James like was trying to see beneath the mask. After a few seconds, his head cocked to the side, and he grinned. "My name is Q."

"A man of mystery I see," James said, turning on his charm. It was safer for Walmond to flirt with him than anyone else in the place. James at least would not be taking advantage of him. However, he would have to keep Walmond entertained to keep him there. James reached up to lay a hand on Walmond's thigh. "I like men of mystery."

"Wow, that was cheesy."

"I can be cheesier," James assured him which made Walmond giggle. James turned his grip on Walmond't thigh hard and pulled, coaxing the kid down into his lap. Walmond pouted when after settling down into James's lap, James took his hand away. So James rewarded him with a hand on his back, making Walmond shiver.

"So who are you supposed to be?" Walmond asked, taking in what he could see of James's costume.

"A masked assassin." James unbuttoned his coat to show off the fake knives inside and the real holster with a gun that was not fake but looked faked. Walmond's hand reached out to touch, and James slapped it away with a grin before buttoning up his jacket again. Walmond gave him another pout, sticking his lip out and looking the epitome of someone who was so very innocent. James didn't believe it for a second. He knew from the kid's actions a year before that his morals were not what most people would call normal. Hell even for MI6 the actions weren't very moral. "And what are you?"

"I'm a hacker," Walmond said with a grin.

"Oh really?" James looked around Walmond. "Where is your computer?"

"A hacker doesn't take his laptop to a party. Strange people could get onto it, and that's asking for trouble. Why? Did you want to look at it?"

"No, just curious. How will anyone know what you are without showing?" James leaned close as he spoke and if there were a mouth cut out on his mask, his breath would have licked the edge of Walmond's ear.

"They will just have to trust that I know what I am."

"Q!" SOmeone yelled to get the kid's attention, but James reached up to stop his face from turning away from him.

"Assassins are very possessive people, Q. They don't like to not be the object of their subject's attention."

"I thought that it was an assassin's job to be invisible."

"When killing. I'm not killing right now; I'm looking for fun." James lifted his mask enough to where Walmond wouldn't be able to see anything but James could whisper directly in his ear. "You have to make the decision of whether you want my attention or everyone else's."

Walmond acted like he was going to get up but instead turned to where his back was to James's chest. That put Walmond's ass directly over James's cock, thankfully that afternoon he had a visitor to his dorm, and she was more than willing to make sure that he had nothing left to even think of getting hard with friction on his prick.

"Hackers like stimulation, Richard. You will have to make sure to keep my attention."

"I'm sure that I can do a fine job on that," James said before tipping his mask down again. James wrapped an arm around Walmond's chest. His hand was going up to Walmond's shoulder to hold him in place more than anything else. There were several sets of eyes that were on them, many looking jealous and since James was masked and hadn't moved around a lot, those jealous eyes were for the fact that James had Wlamond's attention.

Walmond drank his beer in his glass nearly chugging it. "I hate warm beer. I hate beer in general, but I don't want to tempt the hard stuff."

"You really shouldn't be drinking beer at all, won't that impair your ability to hack?"

"Some of the best hacks were done under the impairment of a drug of some kind. My best hack was done on a sugar high from eating candy all day for food. It took me three hours, but I got where I wanted to be and back out without anyone ever knowing or leaving a trace for them to follow."

"Really? Who did you hack?"

"Shush," Walmond whispered before turning his head to brush his lips over James's ear. "The CIA."

"Oh? The Yanks never knew what hit them, eh?"

"You have no idea. I crashed after that for a day. Once the high wore off that is."

"I think I would have loved to have seen it. I'm sure that you smiled a lot then. A big grin on your face and just floating along in your life for a while. High on what you had done. I know that feeling."

"I bet you do, Mister Assassin." Walmond took James's beer from him and took a sip, he frowned. James lifted his hand to grab Walmnod's to lift the cup up to drain the beer. Walmond didn't let go, and he didn't look at James's face at all. James was intrigued by that. If it were James, he would have looked.

When James took the empty cup to set it inside of Walmond's empty cup, he felt fingers on his face lifting the mask. However, Walmond only lifted it far enough to kiss James, his tongue tracing the seam of the lips but never getting inside.

"I know you are under eighteen."

"But over sixteen. You've got me in your lap; if you won't kiss me, I'll find someone else who will." Walmond started to slip off of James's lap, but James couldn't have that, so he grabbed Walmond's hips and pulled him back. Despite the afternoon marathon sex, James felt his cock responding a little.

Walmond gasped and wiggled a little but pop to his hip from James's hand stopped him.

"Be good little minx, or I'll leave."

"Yes, Sir."

James growled a little before laughing as Walmond leaned back into him again. He lifted up his mask and took it off laying it on the arm of the chair. He had come prepared with a secondary mark that he pulled from his pocket. He hadn't expected that Walmond would have to be the object of his affection, but he brought a mask that covered the part of his face that was above his nose and left his mouth free. James slipped it on.

"Always prepared?" Walmond asked as he picked up James's full mask.

"Always. One never knows what one would need his mouth for."

"You make that sound very tempting." Walmond turned his head to nuzzle at James's neck, and he brushed his lips over James's. James was thankful that he stopped at that and did go any further.

"So where else have you hacked?"

"Oh, a hacker never tells all of his secrets, especially to an assassin who won't tell me who he works for. What if you were sent to interrogate me?"

"At least if I was it's a pleasurable interrogation." James slipped his hand forward to grip Walmond's thigh.

"Not nearly as pleasurable as it could be."

"That kind of pleasure can't be done in public, and I don't feel like leaving."

"I thought that assassins were all about the pleasure in their lives?" Walmond asked.

"And this is a pleasure to me. A beautiful boy in my lap and everyone knows that he is mine." James nipped at the expense of neck in front of him. Walmond shivered.

"So what about at the end of the night?"

"I'll walk you back to your dorm, and we will go from there." James had no plan to do more than drop Walmond off, but Walmond didn't need to know that. He didn't want to leave kid alone at a party that seemed to use drugs. Walmond had the worst luck when it came to that. James hoped that he would just stop going to parties like this and stick to clubs or even bars.

"My knight in shining Armani."

"This is not Armani," James said.

"Then one of the other snobby suits that make you stand out in a crowd. Horrible for an assassin, standing out."

"But does anyone see me?" James asked.

"I did."

"You are special, Q." James knew that he was laying it on thick, but it would keep Walmond right where he wanted him and safe.

Walmond was affectionate, and thankfully James didn't have to put him off as crossing any lines. Instead, Walmond just kissed him when he felt like it and touched whatever he wanted. James's cock stayed half hard until the party started to wind down. Walmond crowd watched with James, and they discussed various people and how drunk they were.

"Are you going to walk me home now?" Walmond asked as he turned in James's lap to straddle it, trying to bring their groins into contact.

"I am."

"Good because I'm tired. You might have to carry me."

"Carrying you would make it hard to defend myself. You never know when a rival assassin would try and take me out."

"I could ride you."

James's mind blanked on that. Instead of the image that Walmond was trying to conjure up, Walmond on James's back with legs wrapped around to his front and arms around his neck, James was seeing Walmond naked and overtop of James, riding his cock like a whore.

"Minx," James said when he could speak.

"That's not a no." Walmond slipped off of James's lap, looking like a kid trying to be an adult and it helped to knock down James's desire for sex.

"No, it's not. I guess you will have to see what happens when we got to your home."

Walmond held out his hand, and James took it, pushing himself up to a standing position. James looked around at the people left at the party; no one was paying them any mind and James was glad of that. James let Walmond pull him by that hand out of the house and toward the centre of campus. Occasionally when they found a doorway or a wall that looked good, Walmond would push James into it and snog him for a minute. If it were anyone else, James would take what Walmond was offering, but it would cross a line that James was unwilling to cross with the kid.

James used Walmond's key to open the door. Walmnd though looked to be half awake on his feet. James hoped that if he got Walmond down on the bed, he would fall asleep and James could take his leave.

"You remind me of the man from my dreams," Walmond whispered into the skin of James's neck.

"What does the man in your dreams do?"

"He puts me to bed and watches over me, never touching but watching. Watching me all the time. Be him tonight but touch. Please touch me."

"Get on the bed, Q," James ordered. He wasn't going to do what Walmond wanted, but he was sure that if the kid settled in the bed, he would sleep. Walmond did more than just get on the bed, he stripped down to his pants. James watched the play of subtle muscles as he crawled into the bed. Walmond looked up at him with half-lidded eyes. He looked like a temptation, and James knew if he were weaker he would give in. James knelt on the bed and plucked Walmond's glasses from his face before kissing him.

Walmond moaned and tried to pull James all the way down, but James stopped him.

"Patience my sweet," James whispered into Walmond's mouth. Walmond tried to force James to kiss him more, but as James resisted, Walmond's kisses became slower and slower.

Another ten minutes and Walmond was asleep. James wiped down the room to remove any of his prints just in case before he left the room. James made sure the door was locked, wiping the handle down again. James wasn't looking forward to the next year if Walmond was still in college, he would be old enough to be housed with the rest of the incoming freshmen. That would make it harder for James to do his job.

The All Hallows Eve festivities were winding down for the night, but there were a few places that James knew that he could go and get a little drunk for the rest of the night. Find someone to fuck that he would never have to see again to wipe thoughts from his head that he had no business having. M would have his bollocks for garters if he ever touched Walmond that way.

In the end, James went back to his room and settled in for a night of wanking to the porn that he found tasteful enough to actually be on his laptop. There wasn't a lot of it but enough to drain his bollocks and made his hand cramp.


	7. Chapter 7

_July 18, 2005_

James was back from a short mission helping Alec steal some files from a corrupt General in Mongolia. Alec told James that it was the rumour that it wasn't going to be long before James was put up to Double-O status.

Walmond was turning eighteen that day, and when James had arrived back in London, instead of to the house that Walnond's foster parents had lived in, James was directed to Hackney. The agent that James was taking over for had an apartment there, and it was already wired for everything that James would need in his watching of Walmond. Including a line of sight on Walmond's flat.

The flat was tiny, a single room that held kitchen, living, and dining rooms. James knew from the blueprints for the room that there was a bedroom in there but no line of sight let them see what was in there and no one had invaded the flat yet as Walmond hadn't left it since getting the last of his things moved in. The electric bill for the place told James that it was something to do with Walmond and his computers, but there was no way to confirm until Walmond left.

James had a plan on that because Walmond had gone to sleep at two am, and it was just after four. Walmond was asleep on his bed in the front corner by the window and totally sacked out. James wasn't sure if a bomb going off would wake him up.

It was the work of a few seconds for James to pick the lock on Walmond's door. He was a little worried about that until he remembered that this kid didn't have to worry about anything from the world that wasn't digital. Walmond's only worries came from the computer.

Walmond slept without making any sound at all. James wasn't sure that he was breathing until he really watched for the slight rise and fall of his back from breathing. Walmond was face down on the bed; blankets tucked all the way to his neck. He was in the centre of the bed.

James looked around a little, little for cameras and such but he could see none. James settled the bag he carried with him onto the counter using a handle to pluck the heavy bottle from inside. He settled it onto the counter dan rolled up the canvas bag before tucking it into a pocket. There was little to do except look around.

Walmond's flat looked not that much different from his dorm room at uni. It was clean if a little cluttered with computer bits but nothing that was in a place to trip over. It looked like the lair of an evil genius more than the flat of a computer skills uni student.

There was a warmth in it though that had been lacking in the garage room that Walmond had been in with his foster parents. The little bit of interaction that James had with Walmond told James that this as more like what he wanted, he just hadn't cared to do anything beyond the basic of what he needed to entertain himself.

Walmond snorted and rolled over, James froze in his spot, waiting to see if Walmond woke up. Walmond sprawled on his back, his mouth open for a few seconds before it closed and there was no sound again. James marvelled at the kid and his ability to sleep with no sound coming from himself. James smirked to himself because Walmond wasn't a kid anymore. He could be classified as a young man now that he was eighteen.

It took a little bit of James just being in the apartment for him to hear what was going on in the bedroom that had the door shut. It was as he thought, a server room of some kind. James tested the handle, and when it gave quickly with a push, he stepped into the room, tensing for an alarm to go off, but nothing happened. There was a bank of computer towers in the back side of the room, the single window into the room had the blackout curtain pulled around it. James mostly shut the door behind him, knowing that the change in the sound of the room could wake Walmond up.

It looked like a smaller version of what James had seen of the server room at MI6, which was woefully outdated compared to this. There was also a lot less dust. James could see no master computer with screen and keyboard, but he wasn't even going to try and do anything like touching it.

James had learned one simple thing in all of the classes that he had been taking. Walmond didn't learn this stuff so much as he was this. Computers were his lifeblood, and he was damned good at them. The knowledge that James retained from his classes was nothing compared to what Walmond just seemed to know.

There were more piles of parts inside of the room. Guts from computers that looked fried as compared to the ones that were in the living room area that was pristine. Walmond's laptop had been out in the living room, but it looked like he was building a new one in the server room.

James made sure that he knew every inch of the server room before he started to really look at things. He found what he was looking for and that was a thing that looked like a tablet velcroed to the side of one of the towers. James grabbed gloves from his pocket and slipped them on before grabbing it.

A simple touch to the screen and it woke up, even with latex gloves on.

_What can I do for you today, Q?_ was on the screen. James frowned. That wasn't what he was expecting. The screen was black with the writing in a bright purple. James was little shocked by that, but if this were his central access, James would have no way of hacking that with his tiny skills at hacking.

A.I.s were talked about in class, small discussions in the realm of science fiction and not science fact but this computer of Walmond's was piquing James's interest. This explained some of why MI6 still had not actually caught onto Walmond's exploits. James wouldn't be shocked if some of Walmond's hacking he did to get caught and let MI6 see him and the rest he kept quiet.

James made a vow to check the MI6 servers when he got back to his flat for the morning. See if Query had popped up on their radar at all yet. James also wondered if he could get into MI5 and check their database. MI6 would only care about Query if he was a threat to the world and if he were only hacking local it would be on the MI5 radar. James knew that MI5 and MI6 were linked, and it would make a hack from MI6 into MI5 easier, but James had never tried it.

A clock sounded in the living room ad James knew that he was on borrowed time. He needed to get out of the flat and make sure that he took care of his prints. James wiped down what he touched, even with gloves on as he stepped out of the room. He locked the door behind him and shut it before testing it. Everything was good. James had near perfect line of sight of the flat from his flat, so after stopping at a little twenty four hour place to grab a few quick meals for the day, James settled into the desk area where the bay of screens was for him to watch Walmond.

Walmond woke up around seven after five hours of sleep, which was sometimes normal for him. James was at the desk working on a personal bit of searching before he started to actually work on trying to hack MI5. Walmond walked around in nothing but his pants for nearly an hour while drinking five cups of tea and stretching. It took a few poses for James to realise that it was yoga.

After the yoga was done, Walmond ate breakfast. It looked like yoghurt and granola, but James couldn't be sure as the young man ate it leaning against the counter near the fridge, which was the only area that wasn't that visible from the cameras that were placed in sight spots. Walmond ate well for a uni student, much better than James had in his short stint in uni the first time and many times better than his years in the Navy. Walmond was thin, but it was a wiry thin that could hurt someone if he really wanted to.

James had to wonder if Walmond was slightly afraid of someone coming after him for turning in his father. His security measures sucked for that, but then it would be more getting away than keeping someone like them out. Anything he did would be hard pressed to keep people like them out.

It wasn't until halfway through the morning that Wlamond noticed James's gift to him. Walmond stared at the bottle of damned good scotch for ten minutes before he stepped over to it. James left no tag on it or anything that would identify where he had got it. He had also paid cash for it in another country and snuck it back in, just to be safe from Wlamond tracking him.

Walmond cracked the seal on the scotch and sniffed it before taking a drink. James was rewarded with the look of shock on his face at the strength of the drink. After Walmond got used to it though, he took a healthy sip with a grin on his face. M would skin James alive if she knew that James was giving Walmnd alcohol on his birthday, as a present or just as anything. Agents of MI6 already had issues with drink, and if M were going to pull him into MI6, she would not want him already on the bottle before he started.

James had promised the young man his first bottle of drink on the day he was legally able to purchase it. James did not want to risk actually waiting for Walmond to go to a bar so sneaking in and dropping it off was the best thing.

Walmond held off drinking more until late in the afternoon after he had eaten lunch and after he had eaten a snack. At about seven in the evening, James regretted getting the large bottle as Walmond was halfway through it and had been on his computer for hours. James was reasonably sure that Walmond was hacking someone, but he had no way of telling.

Instead of focusing on that, James started his search for Query in the database of MI6. There was a brief mention of the name in a report filed by MI5 to MI6. So James set about beefy up the firewalls on his computer before he started the hack into MI5.

After half an hour, James found a backdoor into MI5 that was well hidden however when he started down that rabbit hole; it kicked him out of it.

_Naughty, naughty.-Query_

James grinned and turned to look at the monitors. Walmond looked down at the corner of his screen and James watched him start to type away, but instead of looking happy, he looked vicious. James had already covered the webcam on his computer, so when the icon popped that his webcam was on, James just grinned and executed a wipe. Everything was backed up to the MI6 database on a nearly hourly basis, and James hadn't don't anything that he would miss, but the way to backtrack would be gone.

Walmond frowned and took another swig of the scotch before changing tactics. It would only seem like someone had tried to follow his path and hopefully, James would be safe. It meant though that Walmond was already inside of MI6 and MI5. James trusted that the young man was good. He had turned his father in at a young age, and there wasn't a single thing that James had learned about him over the years that said he wasn't loyal to England anymore.

Q before now to James was the Quartermaster of MI6. Old Major Boothroyd who needed someone like Walmond on his staff to make sure that MI6 was safe for the long term. Q-Branch was the slowest to change when it needed to be the first. James thought about M's screen in her office and on her wall that was high tech, but nothing like that came from Q-Branch. It could though, and James knew that from the university. James wanted to see better things from MI6, and for that they needed bright, young things like Walmond, Q now in James's mind because without doing a damned thing besides hacking MI6 many times, he was more worthy of that moniker than old Boothroyd.

James looked at Q through the window, watching him hack or do whatever he was doing and looking like he was having the time of his life, drunk off of his ass without leaving his flat. James had got little sleep the night before a nap on the flight home, but he would stay up all night so that after Q passed out, James could watch over him.


	8. Chapter 8

_June 2006_

James was sitting in his flat sipping his bottle of scotch and trying to figure out what he wanted to do. He wanted to go out and find the asshole that had made Vesper love him and betray her country to save him. It was all too much, and he needed something else to do but sit there and mope, and he knew it. Going after the fucker wasn't an option because M was watching him. He would bide his time and go about it in his own way when it was time.

The chime from his phone told James that Tanner had texted him. James liked Tanner, he was a good man and good at what he did as Chief of Staff. It meant he had to corral the Double-O's but that was more like herding cats, and he knew it and didn't try and keep them contained as much as just knowing where the hell they were at any given point in time. James debated not getting up, but it could be a mission. It could be anything, and James would take it just to feel like he was getting something done. Even if it was something stupid like escorting a high MI5 official somewhere outside of London, James didn't care.

_M wants you in Hackney as soon as possible._

James grinned because while it was stupid as fuck for him to watch over the young man it was at least something to do, and James could have some fun in Hackney while watching the young man. Q had taken a dead end job James had heard from Alec as Alec was the last Double-O that had watched Q. Of course, James was the only one that thought about Walmond as Q, and it did fit so well. James hadn't thought much about the young man in the almost year since he had seen him.

Q got smashed on his birthday and Query was found to have hacked more than seventeen websites, all tracing back to a house with little old lady and man inside that had a computer to watch cat videos, and that was it. MI5 had spent months looking for Query if the scuttlebutt was to be believed and since it was from M, James believed that. MI5 and MI6 had not linked Walmond to Query yet. James figured that it was a merry old game for Q to do it. One day Q would be caught, and he would either pick MI6 or MI5, but James figured that he would pick MI6. Q had made his choice plain. James wondered if both MI6 and Q were waiting for the other to come forward to make the first overture. James didn't care enough to do anything about it. Hell, MI6 still hadn't figured out that Query was someone they needed or that Query was Walmond.

James could have got a taxi to Hackney, but he wanted his car with him. The newest Aston Martin with its perfect interior. The MI6 flat was better than the one that Q rented, and it came with a parking garage that had cameras so it wasn't in danger but James would want to find someone to take his mind off of things.

This assignment had been the one that James had dreaded after being assigned it, and even after he had got used to it, he had come to dread long hours with nothing to do but watch a young man type away at a computer.

The area in Hackney that Q's flat was in looked the same, even if James hadn't been there since July of the year before. James drove around the block that Q's flat was on as well as the one that the MI6 flat was on before he finally parked beside the nondescript grey car that he knew was an MI6 issue. James hated those cars because while many people drove them, it was a standard government issue, so they were looked for in a situation more than a car like his own.

Security for the flat was lacking, but James knew that. They weren't afraid of Q getting into it because the young man still had no clue that he had a watchdog and if it was someone who was taking them out to get to Q, well they were in for a surprise. The security was dumped into the computers that were in there and not into securing the flat at all because the agents or agent inside was the security. Nothing else was needed.

"007," 009 said. James knew that his name was Jim Demarco and that he had been promoted to Double-O just before James.

"Jim," James said with a grin. Jim laughed and stuck his hand out for a shake. James knew that many of the Double-O's were going to be wary around him for a while. The whole of the Casino Royale affair was no secret. James hated that it was cannon fodder for the masses, but he would rather it than a secret and have to confronted with questions. Secrets were for everyone else, not those that worked in MI6.

"He's been holed up for two weeks. He's not left and has all of his groceries brought in and eats takeout every single damned night. This kid's the easiest job in the world."

"He has been for years, except when he isn't."

"Yeah, I read those files about the time he was drugged and the time he was almost drugged. Quick thinking on your part. I'm off to Ibiza now, and you get to sit and watch moss grow on his back."

James grinned even brighter, and Jim laughed before leaving. James looked around, seeing that his personal work laptop had been dropped off at some point. M had planned on sending him to watch over Q. There was also his kind of scotch in the cabinet. He could see a little left of Alec's Vodka in a bottle and grabbed it to finish it off. James wasn't going to be pulled from this duty for a long while. So Alec didn't need his alcohol at all.

It was just after in the afternoon when James looked at the time. Late enough that getting drunk sounded like a good idea.

"Hello, you," a voice said after nearly a half an hour of James sipping at his scotch. The Vodka was long gone, and all that was left was James's scotch. The dregs of two other bottles having been drunk as well. There was little to do but watch the screens, but Q hadn't moved in the time that James had been there, so his mind had been wandering. It wasn't anymore.

James focused on the screen to see Q looking down at a cat that was in the flat. James had looked over the notes that were left about him, and it seemed that it was a stray that Q fed when it deigned to come into Q's flat.

"Still so pretty," Q said as he sat back and picked up the cat.

James was shocked to have audio that was as clear as it was. Some mics did well at picking up voices through windows, but none were as clear as this. James pushed himself up off the couch to sit down in the chair in front of the bay of monitors and grab the tech book. Even with time away, James still read the notes better than probably the people who wrote them. James marvelled at the fact that Alec had got a mic inside and had been able to keep it there.

Q wasn't stupid, so he was either blind to it or never looked for it. James would go for that because the young man trusted way too much in life. James didn't want the day to come where the trust was broke, not like James felt right now. James had always trusted those that he worked with. Alec trusted him, and he trusted Alec. James had trusted the men and women that he worked with in the Navy. James wasn't sure that he trusted anyone anymore. He didn't know what to do, and while time on his hands to figure that out was good, James didn't want that.

James picked up the bottle of scotch and put the lid on it before putting it back where it belonged. According to Q's schedule, he was going to be starting his job in a few minutes and working until it was late in the night. James had time to go out and find someone. It had been a year, but he was sure that someone was around for him to find and fuck.

* * *

James arrived back at the flat, and the screens showed Q in the same place that he had been left. James watched the feed on a fast forward from the moment that he had left and found that other than to get up for tea or take-out, Q didn't get up from the desk he was working at until around midnight. He was gone for ten minutes and came back looking like he had made a new cup of tea and had hopefully gone to the bathroom. Then it was back to work. James had no clue what Q did other than online and over the phone tech support. MI6 stayed out of the company's records for Q as it was a domestic place with no need to hack or do anything untoward.

There was nothing in Q's file with MI6 under his real name on why M was still following him if it seemed that M wasn't going to hire him. Q had several degrees, gotten at the same time under his belt and was still pursuing another that was totally online. According to the file, Q had given his last term paper to his professor by hacking the man's computer and dropping it into his work folder. The cheek of it as well as the strength of the paper had earned Q an A., So it was a game now according to what MI6 knew. Q had to submit all of his papers that way from now until the end of his term. If he couldn't, Q would get a B on them as the highest grade.

Several emails from Q-Branch told James that Q was still hiding himself behind a wall that he let no one into. There was evidence of the hacks that Query did in the system, and it didn't match the hack that Q had done to turn in his father.

James spent the rest of the hours of the night, coming off his drunk to go over both sets of code to find something that told him that Query was the same as Walmond St. Clair, even though he had the words from Q's mouth several times, trust was a rare commodity to James.

"Come on you," Q said aloud to the room, and it caused James to look up at him in shock. The cat was back and was jumping onto Q's bed where James realised that Q was wearing just pants. He knew that from Alec's file but still to see it. To see his lithe body again had James watching as Q fell asleep on his front with a pillow bunched under his head and a stray cat on the bed beside him.

James watched Q as he didn't move for an hour. It was weird to see him so still, even when his body was still, his hands were not, typing away at a computer for hours at a time, stopping once an hour to stretch and make sure that his hands were not going to cramp.

Shoving the files off of his lap, James stood up and grabbed the lock picking set that was on the stand at the door. It was just after two and James knew that once Q was asleep, nothing would wake him. Probably even that cat in bed with him.

Getting into Q's flat was just as easy as it always had been. It looked the same except for the catbox in the corner. James smiled at it because this was more than just a stray cat. There was evidence of the cat using the box. James figured that a cat was a perfect pet for Q, their personalities were matching.

James went to the server room to find that it was still pristine and there was no collected dust on any of the towers. There were three new towers in the lineup. James smiled at the towers because unlike before all of them had names. The two biggest were Arthur and Merlin, and the two smallest were Bit and Bob. The other eight had random and weird names like Helga and Rowena. James left the room without touching anything.

The cat jumped off the bed to come over and investigate the new human. James smiled and petted it, finding a collar around its neck. James grabbed the little tag that was on it and saw that the cat's name was Walther. James was a little shocked by that. Why the hell would Q name his cat after a gun? As far as James knew Q had never been around a gun besides when James was wearing one when he was around Q. It had to be a quirk or just something interesting about Q. James wanted to ask. He looked at Q, still asleep in bed before wandering toward the window. James looked over at the flat he would be in until M decided he was allowed to go on another mission. Cooling his heels in Hackney sounded like hell, but at least it would give James time to do what he wanted.

James looked over the window, the small window into the life of Walmond St. Clair that James had and as he did, he looked at the little defect in the corner. At a closer look, James realised that it wasn't a defect at all but a small microphone. James was shocked that Q-Branch had made something that had escaped the notice of Q in his own apartment. James tapped it and stepped away. Q's laptop was just asleep on the desk, and James brushed his knuckle over the trackpad to find that it woke up and was on the main screen, not a login screen. James was tempted to get onto the computer to find evidence of what Q was up to when he wasn't working, but he knew that he'd never be able not to leave a trace that Q couldn't find. James walked away from the computer and hoped that it went back to sleep. MI6 had never been able to get inside of Q's computer in any way shape or form. One agent had got inside while Q had been out for a checkup with the doctor but the virus planted had been found within seconds by whatever safeguards that Q had on the damned thing and destroyed. There was no evidence of anything to link Q to hacking after he had hacked MI6 to betray his father. Outside of the hacking done while he was in college and taught how to hack.

As he was leaving, James looked at the bookshelf that had many of the texts from college as well as a vast collection of paperback books in stacks. James's eyes roved over the titles and smiled as he saw many fantasy and science fiction books as well as a few biographies of world leaders. There was a small section of books that were up and down and not in a stack, leaning against a bottle of some kind. James stepped closer to it and saw that it was the bottle that had held the scotch that James had bought for him. There was nothing inside of it at the moment, but James wondered why Q had kept it. He wondered if Q was keeping it to remind himself that someone had broken into his place on his birthday or if he thought that the person who had broke in would like that he had kept it. James knew it was the same bottle because there had been a scratch on the label and that scratch was there.

The cat meowed and jumped up onto the bed. Q groaned and held up the side of the covers and the cat dove underneath. James could hear him purring from across the room. James stayed where he was as he waited for Q to become totally still again. It took ten minutes for James to feel safe moving and leaving. James had wiped his prints as he had moved around, so he only had to clean up the doorknob as he left.

Hackney was dead at nearly four in the morning. There was an off-license open and James bought himself a bottle of scotch because he would need it.

James didn't feel like trying to sleep, even though James knew that he should. Sleep should be got when the target was sleeping, but James knew Q like the back of his hand, and that had not changed in the year that he had been away. Instead of laying in bed and staring at the ceiling, James settled into the chair that had been moved close to the window to allow the agents watching Q to sit there and watch him instead of on camera. James had the laptop with him, and he started to search for the name that Vesper had given him.

Mr. White was going to be found, and James was going to make sure that every single bit of pain that James felt for the betrayal was going to be visited on him. Mr. White was the only name that James had, and he was going to use it figure out the game plan because Le Chiffre had been a ploy, a game piece moved across the board by another hand. Mr. White would lead to where James needed to be.


	9. Chapter 9

_January 2007_

James listened to Beatrice as she ordered a bottle of champagne and strawberries. James would have gone for the caviar, but he had told her to order whatever she wanted. James was glad to be back in England, and hopefully, he would be for a while. He had not visited most of his distractions in months. Putting the final touches on the Vesper mission and making sure that the people who had turned her into what she was had taken a lot of time.

The light in the sitting room of the suite dropped off, and James blinked at the low light. The only light was from the kitchen area and the bathroom and bedroom. James watched Beatrice as she stripped off her sheer robe. James licked his lips as she walked to him in just her underwear. She tanned naked on a regular basis and her skin was a perfect colour to pull off the blood red bra and panties that she wore. Beatrice leaned over, bracing her hands on the arms of the chair before she ducked her head for a kiss. James kissed her with fervour. She was perfect, and James couldn't wait to have her riding him in the chair. It was his favourite way to have her, and he indulged at least once during his nights with her.

"What do you want, James?" Beatrice asked, her lilting accent went right to James's cock, making it finally want to take part in what was going on. James was down to his trousers and undershirt, Beatrice having stripped him that far before pushing him into the chair and giving him the drink. Beatrice had rented the room and arrived before James. The dress that she had been wearing when James arrived had not lasted past the outer door. James had used his wandering hands to work on the zip at the back of it, and it was still in a puddle on the floor by the door. Beatrice would have to pick it up before she allowed room service in.

"I've dreamed about your mouth," James said before he rubbed his thumb over said mouth. It was heady, watch her lips part before she sucked his thumb into her mouth. James applied pressure to her jaw, and instead of opening her mouth to let the thumb slip out, she dropped to her knees between his spread legs. Only when she was level with James's cock did she let go and allow James to have his thumb back. Beatrice quickly ducked her head to licked his cloth covered cock, which was hard and throbbing already.

"What have you dreamed of doing to my mouth?" Beatrice asked before she started to work on James's belt. James lifted his hips up enough to where she could pull the leather free of its loops and toss it back behind herself. Nimble fingers worked on James's button and zip before finally pulling his cock out of his pants and trousers. James sipped at his drink as Beatrice licked the head of his cock. Beatrice had paperwork that stated that she was free of anything so she wouldn't have to put a condom on James for at least the oral section of the night. James was not going to go inside of her ass or cunt without one though. She was still young enough to where she could get pregnant, and James did not want a child. No matter if any child of his could easily pass for a child of her husband's. It was a complication that James didn't want or need.

"Everything," James said before setting his glass down on the small stand beside the chair. He ran his fingers through her hair for a second before those fingers tightened and gripped. Beatrice gasped and ducked down as James tugged on her to get her mouth wrapped around his cock. James didn't mind coming in her mouth, and he knew that he could get it up quick enough for her to enjoy his cock in her for a little while. Beatrice had a wicked mouth and loved to use it so she wouldn't see a problem with him getting off quickly.

James used his hand to hold her in place as he thrust in and out until he was over the first wave of the want to go off. When he was more settled, he let go and grabbed his drink again. Beatrice needed no words to start to bob up and down on him, her little hands tugging at his trousers. James lifted his hips to allow her to start to strip him the rest of the way. She pulled off his cock only long enough to pull his pants down after she got his trousers to his knees. James loved to thrust in an out of her mouth but loved letting her do what she wanted just as much.

There was no need to warn Beatrice that his orgasm was imminent because she had her hand on his balls. She felt them tighten and pulled her head back. She looked up at James before moaning as he came in her mouth. Beatrice kept her eyes locked with James's as she swallowed. It was always so damned good.

"You've been drinking a lot," Beatrice said as she took the tumbler from James's hand to wash the taste of semen from her mouth. James waited until she had finished it off before hauling her up to straddle his waist and kiss her again. James chased the taste of damned good scotch in her mouth, grinding her soaking wet cunt on his naked cock. James lifted his hand to cup Beatrice's tit and thumb at her silk encased nipple before separating his lips from her. James smirked at her before ducking his head and licking at her nipple. Beatrice had very sensitive nipples. He could make her come just from that alone, and he planned to do that.

"James, please," Beatrice begged as he stilled her hips on him. Holding her to where she could not thrust on his cock anymore, giving her no sensation beside his hand on her tit and his lips on the other.

"Come like this, my dear, and you'll get everything else that you want," James uttered into the silk covered flesh. James slipped his fingers between silk and flesh and pulled up, popping her tit free from the cup. He slipped that had back behind her and switched which tit he was mouthing at. He cupped her other tit with his now free hand and slipped it out of the cup just enough to tease at the nub with his thumb. James scraped his teeth down the swell of the tit he was mouthing at before letting the tip just catch on the nub. Beatrice came, undulating in James's hold enough to where he had to use his hand he was using to keep her still to keep her on his lap. James didn't let up, sucking the nipple into his mouth to swipe at it with his tongue before sucking a little harder.

"James, James. JAMES!" Beatrice screamed as James kept her right there, her body wanting less of the sensation but more at the same time. She keened out her pleasure as James kept on making her shudder and shiver at the feeling until finally, she slumped in his arms.

"Beautiful," James utter against the flesh between her tits.

"Cad," Beatrice said.

There was a knock at the door, so James helped Beatrice's tits back into the bra cups before she slipped off his lap to find the sheer robe and don it.

"I'll get the door, you wash up," Beatrice said, eyeing his cock.

"Be a dear and look fetching when I get back," James said before he got up to walk into the bathroom. He looked at himself in the mirror, not liking who he was seen staring at him but this was needed to get himself back to who he was. Before he had become a Double-O and his heart ripped out and trashed. He fucked married women in hotels, never at his place, and he had a string of them so that no one would think that he liked them for more than the sex that they had. There were no strings on either end. There were even a few married men, who married for status but wanted fucked by men to feel alive. James would have to visit one of them soon. He thought about Peter who hated that he loved a cock in his arse. He liked to be fucked like a whore, over and over as the night went. James liked to indulge him because it was so good. Getting off over and over with a man who wanted nothing more than to be fucked. Peter was perfect because he could come just from a cock rubbing over his prostate and James could fuck him to where that didn't happen, making Peter beg and beg until finally James really fucked him.

James took his time washing up, stripping his undershirt off finally and tossing it out into the room where the rest of his clothes were. He could hear Beatrice in the bedroom, knowing that she likely cleaned up some, picking up her dress and stockings from the living room and setting them in the bedroom. There was a small kit in the bathroom so that Beatrice could clean herself up after James was done with her. She didn't mind leaving in the same dress that she came in but she would not leave with her makeup or hair out of place at all.

Beatrice was on the bed with the bucket with ice and the opened bottle of champagne on the nightstand. There were two flutes already filled beside the bucket. The strawberries were on the bed beside Beatrice with several of them placed on her body. James grinned as he looked at her nipple with a half a strawberry on each covering up his second favourite body part. There was a trail of them up and down the centre of her chest from the hollow of her throat down to her shaved cunt. She had her legs canted up and spread so that he could see all of her cunt, including the strawberry that was whole and laying on the bed right at where her cunt was. James grinned because it would be hard but not impossible for him to get on the bed without dislodging a single strawberry and so he knew it was a challenge.

James went for the strawberry on the bed first, snagging it up and letting it roll into his mouth to where he could lick the naked cunt in front of him. James sucked on her clit before chewing the berry in his mouth. There was another right at the apex of her sex, quivering in her need to keep still despite what James's tongue had just been doing to her. James wasted no time going from cunt to throat, ignoring the tits and their berries. James reached over to the other nightstand to grab the condom there as he licked at the hollow of her throat. Getting a condom on was easy, and James only used two hands to rip the package open.

Slipping the condom on, James watched Beatrice as she prepared to be fucked. James grabbed a flute of champagne and downed it quickly. Beatrice moaned and shook her body like she was trying to remind him that she was there.

"Pushy."

James pushed up to press his covered cock into her cunt, rubbing a little before snagging her flute of champagne. He slipped a hand below her head to hold it up to where he could drizzle the champagne into her mouth. Beatrice moaned as his cock kept rubbing her in all the right ways as he slowly fed her the champagne. James grabbed a strawberry when her flute was empty and fed it to her.

The bottle of champagne was only partially empty, so James picked it up to drizzle a little on Beatrice's tits, stomach, and even down between her legs. James drank the rest and picked the last strawberry from the container before tossing it away. James set it down on the swell between her tits and reached down to line up his cock with her cunt. In one smooth, sure stroke, James was inside of her. She gasped, and one of the strawberries almost fell off.

"Ah, ah." James held up his hand in a stop motion. "If one of those falls before I get them, I'm pulling my cock out of your cunt."

"James," Beatrice whined.

"Be a good girl for me," James said as he ducked down to pluck the strawberry from between her tits. He leaned up to drop it into her mouth to give her something to focus on while he fucked her hard. Beatrice grabbed her tits to keep them steady when James really started to fuck her. When she was right on the edge of orgasm, James caught the last strawberry in his mouth and licked her nipple before catching the nub in between his teeth. Beatrice came so quick that her body could only tighten up and she threw her head back, mouth caught in a silent scream. James braced himself better on his hands and fucked her through the orgasm before gentling the pace to get himself off.

The ring of James's phone had him pushing himself up to his knees, cock still buried in Beatrice's tight cunt. James saw that she was getting aroused again, so he used his free hand to cup her cunt, his fingers teasing her lips wrapped around his cock and his thumb finding her clit. Beatrice moaned finally free of the intensity of her first orgasm.

"Bond," James said not even looking at the number.

"Well I am glad that you are finding a nice diversion, 007 but you are needed in Hackney." M sounded pissed, and it only made James want to rebel. He had been dreading a call from her because he knew that he wasn't going to be sent on a mission anytime soon. Psych wanted him to have a month off.

"Why me?" James didn't need the cooldown of going into Hackney. He needed to get back to his life and forget all about the bitch that had fucked him over.

"Because I ordered you to and I need 006 on a mission, and he's the current watcher that we have. When 002 gets back, I will be sending her."

"He's just going to sit in his pants and code again. I don't know why you have me and mine doing what any other staff could do. Hell, it could be done from the basement." James knew that he had to be careful about what he said. Beatrice was flying high from sexual hormones, but she could hear something or remember something that he didn't want her to.

"Because I ordered you to, Agent Bond and I will gladly bust you back down to regular agent if you piss me off. Get to Hackney and this time take a fucking taxi to get there and not an Aston Martin." M hung up almost before she got the full sound of the last N in Aston Martin out.

James tossed his phone on the bed and looked down at Beatrice. He had kept on fucking her until he had stopped talking to M. James finished with her, getting her off one more time before he allowed himself to orgasm as well. James pulled from her body, and she was laying on the bed seemingly asleep.

Using the bathroom to shower quickly, James was gone from the suite in ten minutes, dressed again and his phone in hand. James stopped at his flat quick enough to get some clothes together and to grab his gun. He wasn't going without it.

Alec was gone before James made it to Hackney, the only evidence that he had been there was the vodka that was still out. James capped it and looked the equipment that was there. Most of it had been upgraded. There was also a note that James should read all of the files over the year.

James snorted as he read the note and binned it before dropping down to look at the surveillance equipment to see what Q was up to. Walther was there on the bed, asleep by the look of him and James wasn't shocked that the cat was still there.

The files on Q were there, and all of them listed him as Walmond and James wondered when Mi6 was going to catch on to who Q really was and if they were going to offer him that job then. James wondered if M was waiting for Q to do something that was going to get him in trouble and then decide to step in to save him from a horrible fate from the goodness of her heart. There would be a lot of files wiped if that happened. James could see Q destroying MI6 from the inside if he ever found out that M had been watching him. There was a reason that all files on Walmond St. Clair were on paper only. Even when an agent was assigned to watch him, there was a code name for a mission that didn't exist in actuality. James didn't care about telling him the truth because Q was nothing to him but a mark that he thankfully didn't have to seduce.

M needed to make a decision soon on inviting him or get someone better in Q-Branch that would actually be able to catch him on what he was doing because no one had caught him.

There was a woman in Q-Branch that was going to be perfect to be the one to catch him if Boothroyd let her do what she was hired to do which was bring MI6 into the current times. It was insane that a still teenager could run circles around MI6 and hack them and no one notice it. James knew that some of the bloody people in the Home Office didn't care for how M ran MI6 but they had no one else they thought would actually do better in her position, so James wondered if not letting MI6 step forward in time was part of their plan on getting rid of her. Show her to be inept and be able to remove her. James hoped not because there would be a fight on their hands.

Q finally moved from where he was actually at a real desk that faced the window. There were parts all over it, and James had to wonder what Q was building, but there was no rush to know. James instead found a novel that was in the corner of the MI6 work desk and picked it up. There was a sticky note on it from Alec. Telling him not to get attached to the characters as his favourite had been beheaded at the end of the first novel. James laughed and opened it to the first page.

There was nothing to do but watch Q work and James was not going to do that. He would take his licks for doing what he did to get justice for Vesper, and when M allowed him out in the world, he would go and be the agent that England needed, which probably wasn't the agent that M wanted him to be.

It was two weeks later that James realised that Q still ran around in his pants more than anything else in the flat and he drank more tea than water and still lived off of takeaway. He didn't leave the flat unless he had to, which seemed to be only for doctor visits or to get a new phone when he invariably fried his. His phone company had to love him.

James was reading through another book he found in a shop after following Q to get a new phone when he realised that while Q spent little on anything that wasn't cat or phone related, he was spending too much on phones that he paid cash for. James picked up the record of Q's financials to find that MI6 had already noted that Q worked under the table for a few places in the area around where he lived. He made a good bit of money helping them with websites and other trivial tech things that would usually cost an arm and a leg to have anyone else do it. If Q bought things from the place, they paid him nothing but gave him free goods, if he didn't they paid him in cash, and it was dropped into his mailbox in the ground floor of the block. It was an odd way to do things, but it seemed right for Q.

That helped James understand why Q was doing what he was doing. Q was smart and what he had gone to university for was not working a dead end job as tech support and back-end maintenance to a large company. Any other demanding job would not give him the time he wanted to do what he wanted, and James could understand that.

James had seen a lot of people like that in his job. Too intelligent for anything truly mundane but not driven enough to actually make themselves into anything. Most of the ones that James had met though had gone to the wrong side of the law to keep themselves entertained. Q though was the model British citizen. It made James want to stab his eyes a little. He knew that he needed a mission and he needed to stay on M's good side to do that so maybe he was better off just reading when Q was awake and sleeping when Q was asleep. The system was set to wake James if Q moved in the night and not the damned cat.

Plans made, James went back to his book and tried to ignore the young man running around in his flat in pants and only pants with a cup of tea in his hand and a sandwich in the other.


	10. Chapter 10

_March 2007_

James looked around the flat and sighed before dropping down into the chair that was facing the window. There was a new stack of fantasy books on the window sill. It was three in the morning, and James wasn't all that shocked that when he had been in MI6, it had been a ghost town. James had filed his report before leaving the Vauxhall building and headed to Hackney all on his own.

Knowing it was where he was going to end up, James figured that he could get a headstart and be there before M even woke up for the day. He would rather be yelled at by her over the phone than in person.

It was almost dawn when James looked up from the book again. The lights in Q's flat were on, and James was shocked by that. He hadn't looked at Q's files for the two months since he had been there.

The phone in the flat rang as James was making himself a cup of coffee. He added a little bit of cream to it and a teaspoon of sugar. It was an excellent brand of coffee. Alec liked coffee, and he bought good brands. James had been used to the swill that the Navy had and drank whatever was there. Alec though might make him a coffee snob. It was a bit of banter between them with James liking all of the more elegant things in life but drinking whatever swill he was handed when handed coffee.

"Hello," James said, forcing himself to say that instead of answering with his name. There was the chance that it was a wrong number and he had no clue what name the flat was under anymore.

"I was shocked when Diebold was here this morning. He said you had relieved him. What the hell are you doing?"

"Permitting you sending me here. Isn't that what happens to me when I do shit that pisses you off?"

M let out a sigh that told James that she wasn't upset with him. James frowned.

"When you kill people, we want information from yes I get pissed, but since you killed a woman who attacked you, I don't see how I can be upset with you. You finished the mission with a small body count compared."

"Well, I'm already here." James looked out to see Q moving around the flat. It was way too early with Q working the late shift as he had been the last time that James was there.

"I'll send someone around soon."

"Good." James hung up not waiting for M to say anything else. James pushed himself up and out of the chair to grab the paper logbook that marked everything that Q did. All of the notes were in Alec's handwriting with a smattering of 003's. Q had been swapped to an early shift for the past two weeks. Starting at seven and going until seven in the evening five days a week. James hoped that there were enough books to keep him entertained.

Q settled into his desk with a bowl of something from the fridge about ten minutes before his work started. Q went outside even less than before, living in a digital world that MI6 couldn't find.

James did what little working out that he could do inside of the flat. He would get a running route set up for himself the next day, figure out which block he wanted to run around. He might do a figure eight around both blocks.

It was boring, being on Q duty. James hated it because no one had tried to do anything as far as Q went since the CIA had tried when he had been younger. There was no reason that a junior agent couldn't do this duty. There was really no reason that a Double-O had to be the one doing it.

James's attention was brought back to the window when the motion sensor for the front of the building went off. James stood up and looked out. A group of two guys and a girl were pressing the button to talk to someone. Stepping back to look at the monitor, James saw Q look at the door. He frowned and stood up to walk to the door pressing the button. James hit the mic to hear what was said in the room but it picked up nothing. James frowned. He sat down at the computer and tapped a few keys. The microphone was not working. James was not sure why. It had picked up Q moving around earlier that morning. James had muted it when Q had been working, but the microphone should be working.

Running a diagnostic, James figured out that it stopped working right when the bell had been rung for Q to let the people up. That was not a coincidence. For it to stop then meant that Q had turned it off at his end. That meant that Q knew that the microphone was in the room and indulge MI6 in listening to him.

Hacking the microphone, James turned it back on. It was something that James shouldn't know how to do, but still, he did. Mostly due to the classes he had taken while watching Q years before. James kept up with most of it during downtime on missions. The laptop that James was assigned only sent back to MI6 what he wanted it to. He was just good enough at that to do it.

The small group of people were inside of Q's flat then, and James took pictures to run against facial recognition making sure none of it went back to MI6. All three of them were on MI5's watchlist of hackers who hadn't done anything to warrant the government stepping in but could with a blink of an eye. James grinned at that because it proved that he was right that Q's world existed online and little in the real world.

"So, Q, who else is coming?" The girl asked.

"Just three others. Mattie, R, and Fran."

"Just the Magnificent Seven then." The girl giggled as she spoke. James rolled his eyes because even without looking he was sure that she was flirting.

"Always," one of the guys said.

Q sighed, and the mic picked it up easily, so James looked at the cameras to see that Q was standing and looking down. It was too early for Q to be entertaining. He had another hour of work. As if alerting Q's bosses that he wasn't working a call came over Q's computer. The room went silent, and James filtered out the call where Q was helping someone remotely. When he was done the noise of talking started up again, and the bell rang to let more people up. It was busier, so James was ignoring the alert for movement being set off.

James switched the feed to the outside cameras and saw that there was a car letting off two people before pulling away. One of them stepped up to the door and waited for the one that parked the vehicle came jogging up. The woman pressed on the keypad and James watched them enter. Whoever she was, she lived in the complex.

A few minutes later, James watched as the three of them entered Q's apartment. The woman who had been typing on the keypad walked up to Q and hugged him while the other two stayed back.

"R, it's been too long," Q said.

James frowned. That meant the other two were Fran and Mattie. James was a little shocked that Mattie was a male and older than the rest of them. Usually, males dropped the Mattie when they hit puberty. James had been Jamie for a while until he had lost his innocence after the death of his parents.

The party that followed once Q was actually off of work was unlike any that James had ever seen before and really never wanted to be a part of or actually watch again. Laptops were brought out, and everyone was on them. It was a hacking party, James figured out twenty minutes into it. It seemed that they were playing around and seeing who could hack places first. Q won more times than anyone else. Mattie and Clyde got more and more upset about it as the night wore on.

"One last hack," Clyde suggested just after two in the morning.

"Sure," Q and R said at the same time.

"The Met."

The other five were not looking at R or Q when Clyde said it. Instead, they were looking at each other. R gave Q a wicked grin before cracking her knuckles. James wasn't sure what was going on, but he was sure that the other five were not in on whatever Q and R had planned.

It took an hour for Fran to claim herself victorious with Clyde, Mattie, Steve, and Austin getting in just a minute later. Q and R stopped typing then and grinned at their friends. The party wound down quickly after that. Computers being shut down, food being depressed because most of it was things that James didn't see Q eating.

The next three days passed with no issue. Q didn't leave the flat and didn't make a single call. He only talked to his cat and usually just when Walther initiated contact. James purged his mind and his body pushing himself to the brink with runs around the block and workouts that he could do in the flat. During his morning run, he always fetched the paper. Several papers that he spent the rest of the morning reading.

James liked the little bit of domesticity that was fetching the paper and reading it while he ate breakfast. Buried near the end of the paper was an article that spoke of the arrest finally made on the group of people who were hacking the Met. James wouldn't have thought anything of it except for the names. Austin Patricks, Clyde Stewart, Francine Haberdash, Matthew Allen, and Steve Quirks were the names and James got goosebumps at that. There were no images of the people, so James had no way of confirming if it was the five that had been at Q's for that party. It was too damned close in time, and James didn't like coincidences. The article went on to say that the group had been turned in by a woman who was in their inner circle. No mention of names of that person but James figured that it was Q.

Q was going out of his way to not be caught up in anything. That told James more than anything that Q was never going to be what MI6 wanted nor was he going to do what MI6 wanted and that was get caught to where they could offer him the job or prison speech. This just really cemented that a Double-O was not needed to watch him and James planned to tell M that when he met her for his next mission.


	11. Chapter 11

_July 18, 2007_

James laughed into the ear of the woman who was currently sitting in his lap in the dance club that he had gone to for a bit of fun post-mission. He was finding himself bored with is usual married women and men, so he went to find someone to take his mind off of it. There had been a few people who intrigued him, but so far the lovely woman in his lap was winning.

A birthday party in the corner drew James's attention every time that the group let out a cry. Whoever's birthday it was they were turning twenty and celebrating. It was an odd year to celebrate in James's opinion, but he remembered nights drinking when he was in the Navy where it was stupid shit like someone actually got a letter from home. James was happy that the people were celebrating together, even if he would never do something like it.

"You are not paying attention to me, James," the woman in James's lap said. James looked up at the pout that she was wearing and grinned at her.

"Just deciding what's going to happen tonight is all, dear," James answered. He couldn't remember her name, and thankfully he had no reason to. Every time he called her a pet name of some kind her pulse ramped up for a little bit. She was a lonely woman who wanted attention from anyone who would give it, and James was willing to give it. It was perfect payment for him wanting sex. James leaned up to nip at her ear before breathing across it and speaking. "Where I want to have you in the hotel. On the bed, in the shower, on the couch, or even in the kitchen area over the counter. Or all of them one after the other."

The woman blushed and pushed James away for a second before leaning into him and kissing him. James manhandled her around to where she was straddling his waist, her sex rubbing on his cloth covered cock. James was quite content to stay there like that.

"Speech!" someone yelled from the general area of where the party was going on, but James pushed it out of his mind and focused on the attention starved woman in his lap. The party people were having fun, and it made most of the attention in the room focus on them so James knew that he could get away with a lot. The woman in his lap was wearing a long, flowing skirt and he was able to fondle her as he wished with no one getting a look. James picked up the edge of the skirt and slipped his hands under it. He found the smooth skin on her calves and gripped them hard, pulling on her a little bit. The woman gasped and ground her cunt on him more.

James knew that he could have her right then and there, and she wouldn't stop him, but he liked this more. It was a thrill knowing that no one could really see what they were doing. James walked his fingers up her calves to her knees, and when he had a good grip on the joints, he pulled again at the same time that he thrust up some, letting her really feel how hard his cock was for her.

The woman shivered as James started to walk his fingers up her thighs. James took his time as he did, sometimes digging his nails in a little on the sensitive skin and dragging them down to her knees. Every single time that he did, she shivered and gasped, and James ached to be balls deep in her. It was heavenly, having her grind on him.

Finally, James stopped teasing her and himself and slipped his hands up to grip the edge of her panties to pull them down. The woman gasped as she felt the fabric on the top slip down below her ass. The fabric was cotton and didn't feel like it was very expensive, so James found the seam and ripped it until he was able to get the panties off of her without making her get up.

"Naughty boy," the woman panted into James's ear as she tried to grind on him more. James stopped her though and pushed her back just enough to where he could get his cock out. James could enjoy her a little before taking her back to the hotel room he had rented. James used one hand to get into his shirt pocket and grabbed one of the condoms he had in there. Palming it, James slipped that hand back under the skirt before he opened it.

"Naughty boys have more fun," James whispered as he rolled the condom down his cock. The woman just looked at him a little unsure until James pulled her close again, letting his cock rub on her naked cunt. He lifted her and guided her cunt right into his cock head. She reached down and felt the condom on his cock before she helped to guide him all the way inside of her. She was tight, hot, and so wet for him. James gripped her hips her under her skirt and kept her right there on him. He didn't want her to raise up and down as it would draw attention but subtle rocking would work.

"Fuck, James."

"Oh, we are darling, we are. This is just the first round. I'm going to fuck you right here and make you gush all over me and then when I've had enough of the public and the drinking, we are going to leave, and I'm going fuck you every which way but normal all night long in my room."

James felt her muscles tighten as she orgasmed for the first time. James smirked as he sucked a bruise on her neck. Her body was all but pliant as he used his hold on her hips to keep her rocking on him.

"Your tight cunt is perfect for this. So wet for me and so willing to have my cock in it." James slid his right hand from hip to her front, attention-starved her little nub and thumbing at it. She shivered and gasped. Her muscles contracted again, not in orgasm just in too much too soon after her orgasm. He kept on though. He kept rubbing and would dip his finger down to collect her juices to lube up his thumb enough to where he could keep on doing it.

"James, please," she panted.

"Please what? Stop or more? Keep on doing this?" James pressed just a little harder on her flesh, and she nearly bucked off of his lap, his cock sliding almost all the way out of her and then back inside in a single push as she settled down again. She moaned as his cock hit all the good places inside of her. "Or do you want me to tuck myself into my pants and we go to the bathroom and finish this? I'll fuck you on the sink in the men's or even lock the door and fuck you on the floor."

James felt her orgasm again, and he didn't hold himself back. He gripped her hip and held her in place as he filled the condom, her walls tightening and releasing just enough to keep him going for a minute before he felt himself start to deflate. James gripped the base of the condom, slipping a finger inside of her at the same time with his other hand. She slumped back on him and allowed the cock to slip from inside. James took the condom off and knotted it before getting the baggie from his pants. He didn't leave condoms in places that were no hotels, that was asking for trouble. So he had packed accordingly.

"SPEECH!" the crowd yelled again.

"Okay, okay," a new lone voice said, and James felt his blood run cold. He started to look around behind the woman to see if there were any faces in the crowd that he knew, but there wasn't a single one. The crowd for the party was too big, and James couldn't see the speaker that was probably in the centre of it. James grabbed his drink and downed it. He dug into his pocket and got out his key to his hotel room. He handed it over. The people knew him well and knew not to charge anything to his account without him placing it unless it was certain women.

"Go ahead and meet me there. I have one thing to take care of first, and then I'll be there. Be naked and horny, and I'll fuck you when I get there."

The woman kissed James, enticing him and giving him a reason to join her. James kissed her back, giving her what she wanted, but his mind was elsewhere. There was a certain set of guards that were on Q at all times, and James knew every single one of them by sight which meant that M either found a new one to add to his watch crew or Q had given his guards the slip. Which wasn't hard considering that Q didn't even know that they were there. Q knew of the electronic equipment that watched him, and he allowed it but the guards, those were only on paper, and hacking MI6 wouldn't tell him a thing.

After another few minutes of kissing, the woman slipped off of James's lap and sauntered out of the club. She was high on hormones, and it would take her a little too long to realise that James wasn't coming to her. James had no weapon on him, it was in the boot of his car, and there was even a compact handgun in the glove box, but with dancing with a woman, he didn't wear one and run the risk of it getting seen or felt.

James stood up and moved to the edge of the party crowd. There were many people there, and James realised now that he was actually paying full attention to them that many were from Staffordshire. Probably in town for the summer and visiting with college friends. James also realised that it was Q's twentieth birthday. He moved until he had a good view of Q and watched as Q gave a speech. James couldn't pick out a single word of it. He was trying to find the agent that should be watching Q. He had checked on the flat just hours before, seemingly going after a novel that he had left there the last time that he had Q sat and that agent wasn't in the club at all. James frowned because this didn't seem like anything that M would be happy about.

There was little to do except for watch for Q. It wasn't long before James watched a new agent to MI6 slink in and look around until he found Q. James let his focus wander some. He watched the agent who was watching Q and forced himself to not watch Q.

One hour later, James watched as Q left the area of the club where the bathrooms were. He looked wrecked and not in a good way. Q had gone back there alone, but James wondered what happened. He watched as Q didn't even go to where his friends were partying. Q didn't even look at them. James frowned and got up to follow. He saw that the agent watching Q didn't even notice him at all. Instead, the agent was watching a woman dancing drunkenly. James sneered at the man before following Q out of the club.

Q didn't notice James at all, even when James rushed to catch the same bus as him, paying with cash and not exact change. James waved change away and focused on Q. He took a seat four rows behind him. Q didn't move at all, his face down and no phone in his hand. James was worried that he needed to go back and do something to someone because they hurt him. Q wasn't acting cagey like he had been assaulted. James observed him as the bus got close to where Q would need to get off to get onto a bus to take him to Hackney.

It took twenty more minutes after getting on the new bus to get dropped off close to Q's flat. James looked up into the other flat and saw that all of the lights were out whereas Q's were all on. James wondered if that was how Q escaped from his watcher. James hustled up to the MI6 flat just in time to see Q letting himself into the other. James turned on the screens to see that thankfully the surveillance software had just been running with the screen off instead of just off all the way. James walked to the window because he liked seeing with his eyes in person, watching Q strip naked in the flat before slipping into the bathroom. Q had no marks on him, and after getting into the bathroom, James played back the video to see that even up close there was nothing on his skin. James had no clue what happened, but he would make sure that M was aware of what happened and to have someone check on things at the club, someone competent.

Q was in the shower long enough that James knew that he probably ran out of hot water. James felt bad for watching him, but he was worried. Q walked to his dresser, naked and James saw the hint of a tattoo on Q's thigh, but the picture wasn't good enough to see what it was. Q pulled out heavy pyjamas and a long-sleeved T-shirt. James knew that Q slept in nothing but his pants year round so for him to pull out anything like that, James was shocked. There was little to do except listen as Q turned off all of his lights and laid down.

Walther came running, a bell on his collar jingling. James watched as he crawled up on Q with a meow. Q usually lifted his blankets to allow the cat under, but the man didn't. Instead, he ignored the cat, his body shaking.

James pushed himself up, and he was out the door before he knew what he was doing. There wasn't anything that James could really do, but he still left the building he was in and walking into Q's. The code for it was burnt into James's memory, and he wasn't sure that he could forget it. Just like how to pick Q's lock without making a sound was there as well.

Walther's meows carried through the door, and when the cat realised that someone was trying to get in, the sound changed, but James kept picking the lock. When it opened, James pushed the door open and listened to the sounds of the room. He slipped into the flat and found that Walther was on the bed and looking at James. Q didn't move at all, his breathing hitching as he cried.

James listened to Q cry himself to sleep and only moved when he was sure that Q wasn't going to wake up. Q was worn out it looked like. The melancholy of the flat was pressing in on James and he wondered if nothing had happened at the club but instead Q was just too lonely to want to fake being out with people anymore. James wouldn't ever really know.

Walther settled down as James made no move toward his human and so fell asleep on his own late in the night. James stayed where he was by the door and just watched Q sleep, waiting for the dawn to tell him that Q was safe and he could leave.

James made sure that he wasn't in the line of sight of the cameras as it until it was time for him to leave. He didn't even go to the other flat but instead took a bus back to the club and drove himself right to the hotel he had been planning on staying in. He closed out the room and made sure that the woman had actually left.

After that was done, James went right to M to make sure that the agent who had lost Q never worked something like that again.


	12. Chapter 12

_April 18, 2008_

James was in the middle of his second round of pushups when his personal laptop went off. James had been doing good inside of MI6and had not been stuck on Q duty in a long while. It had in fact been nine months since he had seen Q last. The night of his disastrous birthday party that had ended with James watching Q sleep after the young man had cried himself to sleep.

However, that had ended when James had mouthed off to M during his debrief from his mission that ended the week before. James had watched M's face turn a very startling shade of red; she looked like she was about to blow. One word she had spoken and James knew what it meant. Hackney had become a punishment for James, again. Q didn't need a Double-O watching him. He barely needed a full agent watching him.

James had set up his computer to detect when Q's Internet usage went up, and it had gone up. By great detail. James grabbed his T-shirt from where it was draped over the arm of the chair beside him. James looked at Q through the window before moving to the bay of computer screens. The sound was off again, but James had watched the feed that morning to see that Q had silenced it because he had wanted a wank before getting out of bed and had just never turned it on again.

Three minutes before Q had started whatever the hell he was doing, he had received a phone call. The call was short, and his face was nowhere James could see it on a camera to read his lips. Instead, Q's cell phone had dropped to the floor, and he had stood there stock still for two minutes before going to his laptop. Given the levels of usage that James was seeing, Q was brute force hacking someone, and he didn't care if he was caught.

James made the feed show him current time just as his cell phone rang. It was M.

"What in the bloody hell is he doing? Internet usage in Hackney has dropped, and outages are being reported."

"He got a call, and from what these computers tell me, he's hacking someone big and doesn't care what he does to get what he wants."

"Tanner, figure out where the bloody hell St. Clair is hacking."

"Yes, Ma'am." Tanners voice sounded normal, but then James had never seen the man acting stressed before. "Q-Branch is tracking him. Or at least trying to follow his trail."

"Just find hi-"

"GOt him, Ma'am. He's hacking a hospital. He is not doing it brute force like Bond thinks but is just using a lot of resources. He is trying not to bring...oh!"

"What?" M demanded.

"He is hacking the maternity ward information. There is a lady who was brought in last night, and she gave birth three hours ago to twins, a boy and a girl. The father listed is Mister St. Clair."

"Bond, we will call back."

James hung up the phone and grabbed his laptop before plopping it down on the desk. James followed Q's hack into the system. He found the file on the woman who had given birth and then accessed her file in the car registry. James remembered her from the party for Q. That made James wonder about that night. Had something happened that Q didn't want? James knew that Q was gay, but that didn't mean anything when one was lonely or just wanting a good fuck. Q had not seemed that drunk when James had been watching him. M would be able to track back to that party as well. This was going to mess up whatever plans M had for Q.

James pushed his computer aside and sat down in the chair in front of the window so he could watch Q. The Internet usage dropped, and James was able to track the area around them using software every once in a while but more than anything else he was watching Q as the young man spent the rest of the day on the laptop.

It was Q's day off, which James knew was a good thing. Q wouldn't be able to focus on work at all; he probably wasn't even doing whatever he was doing well at all. Q didn't move from the couch he was sitting on until late in the evening, by then Q had to be hungry.

James called in a food order to the place that Q ordered from the most. When the food arrived at Q's flat, he was shocked, but he didn't turn it down. Q sat back on the couch with a notepad on his thigh and the food on the arm of the couch. James wasn't sure what was going through Q's mind at that. MI6 was probably going to wash their hands of him, but James couldn't just do that.

It was two in the morning when James's phone rang again.

"Yes, Ma'am?" James said as he answered the phone.

"Tanner is making sure that a DNA test is done, but the process has started for Q to become the father, in absentia as the woman doesn't want the kids. She would have been better off just getting rid of them before it came this far."

M sounded very upset, and James wondered if she had big plans for Q that having a child, or children would ruin. M hated her plans being ruined; she really hated that.

"Not everyone wants to do what's best for themselves but what they think is best for the child."

"You have a mission in Brussels in two days. We are pulling all active surveillance on Mister St. Clair. We will keep an eye on him digitally as much as we can, but that is it. Someone from Q-Branch will be over to pull everything from the flat you are in, and the cameras and mics are being left or now."

"Do you want me to wait for the person from Q-Branch?"

"No, pull out all of your things, and Q-Branch will get the rest and give it to the agents who have possession."

"Be back to my personal flat as soon as possible."

"Good. Come in tomorrow afternoon to get kited for your mission." M hung up with a word of goodbye. James groaned as he got up, not nearly enough sleep at all but enough for him to get a move on. James threw his items, mostly books into his bag and then made sure to pack his personal as well as work laptop into the large bag that he for it. He piled that by the door and made sure that he had enough cash for what he wanted. James found an off license that was open a few blocks away and purchased the same kind of scotch he had got before for Q on his eighteenth birthday, only a much more substantial size. He used the bag to carry it and slipped into Q's building.

James used the edge of his Henley to unscrew a light at the end of the hall before he approached Q's door. He set the bottle down, using the edge of the bag to keep his prints off of it. He knocked swiftly before running to the darkened spot. Q opened his flat door sixty-eight seconds later. Q still looked shell-shocked, and James figured that he would look like that for days while he adjusted. Q looked around before he stepped further out and his foot hit the bottle of scotch. Q stopped and looked down at the bottle before he picked it up. Q smiled at the bottle before slipping back into his flat.

Grinning, James turned to leave. He would leave Q alone for a little while before he hacked the feed that ran from the equipment in Q's flat to see how he was doing with the kids. The flat wasn't big enough so James figured that at some point he would have to move to a new one. James wondered if Q would find a whole new borough to live in or would stay in Hackney.

_July 18, 2010_

James stopped just two blocks from his destination when he saw something that he didn't think that he ever would. Q was out and about with a hat on his head, and he was pushing a pram with his toddlers sitting beside each other in it. The two kids, a boy and a girl, were looking around and James knew from the direction that Q was headed they were going to the park that was close. James turned to a stand that was outside of the grocery store as Q passed him. Q's eyes didn't stop moving, taking in everyone who was moving around him.

There was no active agent involved surveillance on Q, but there were cameras which one of the Double-O's and a Q-Branch member had replaced in the new top floor flat that Q had moved into about two weeks after he brought the twins home. James checked on Q with Q-Branch more than anything else. Q-Branch didn't think it weird not when it was on file how many times James had been the one on duty. James always couched it as checking on the little brat that he watched too much for his own good. No one called him on it because he was known for being a bastard. He was known for not caring about anybody in the world but England.

Q though had slipped under James's armour and was there, all of the time. James hadn't realised it except over the two years where he hadn't seen Q at all. James wasn't going to do a damned thing about it because Q didn't need MI6 in his life.

James followed Q all the way to the park, and when Q left the stroller at a park bench to take the twins over to the slide that they wanted to go down, James slipped over and set the bottle of scotch and two books into mesh pocket on the underside of the pram. James stayed where he was, sitting and watching Q with his two kids. The books were for the kids and Q would know that just from looking at them. The scotch was the smaller bottle, but since it was Q's birthday, James wanted to get him something. James was wearing and had been wearing a pair of lambskin leather gloves since he had purchased the items, so it was safe for him to touched them without leaving prints behind.

There was never a trace of Q trying to find the person who gave him the presents. Or at least no record that James could find. He did wonder about security cameras in the area when he would drop them off before, but hopefully today there would be nothing.

Q was an attentive father and paid no attention to the women who were trying to get his attention or even the lone male who was there with a son. The looks the women were giving him told James that they wanted sex and given the rings on their fingers, didn't care if they were married or if Q was. There was no denying that Q was good at ignoring people or just staring at them until they left him alone. Q did it to many of the mothers. Women with kids were one of the types of married women that James stayed away from, at least while the kids were younger. That kind of women got too attached and would start to think of him as someone who was in it for the long haul of raising kids.

James was far from father material. The thought of kids running around inside of his flat was disgusting.

"Amelia!" Q called out, and it drew James's gaze back to him. Q was on the ground with the boy twin on his lap while Amelia ran around the both of them. Q was laughing, and his face was full of happiness. James knew that Q never wanted the kids the way that he got them, but that look on his face right then told James that Q loved them dearly.

James stood up, his eyes leaving Q and his kids before he turned fully away from them and started out of the park. It was a nice day out, and James felt like spending it window shopping, seeing there was anything that he wanted, item or person.


	13. Chapter 13

_August 2012_

James found a lovely woman with a beach hut on the Koca Calis Beach in Fethiye, Turkey. The place that he landed after being washed away in the river after being shot off the train by his support agent. The woman was a dear and helped him mend enough to where he trusted enough to head into town to pick up what he wanted. James stayed inside a week because between the shot that he took from the man with the hard drive that he was chasing and the friendly fire, James was too stiff to move well at all. James didn't trust that he wasn't being hunted so for a week he had mended.

In exchange for food, shelter, and medical help, James gave the woman orgasms. At first, it was just him on his back, but as he got better and better, he would take her as often as she allowed.

James slipped from her bed with a kiss pressed to her head when she lost her pillow, stiffly, James found the clothes that she had found for him. It wouldn't do for a day running around London, but for a coastal city that was a touristy location, he would fit right in. James had a list of things that he wanted, but first, he needed money. There were banks all over the world that James had money stashed in and the protocols set up to get the money out without ID of any kind. He needed to get to one as soon as it opened so he could purchase what he wanted.

"Where are you going?" the woman asked in heavily accented English.

"Need some things from town. You sleep, and I'll come back and cook you a late lunch."

The woman grinned before closing her eyes. James slipped from the house, his eyes darting around to check for anything and everything that could be a danger but there was nothing. As James walked through the streets to the centre of town, no one paid him any attention at all. Vendors were trying to get him to buy things, but he ignored them and pressed on. James knew the location of the bank that he wanted but he didn't want to head straight there as it would get him there before the bank opened and waiting around outside of it would draw too many eyes. So James wandered around in a leisurely manner that slowly put him on the path of the bank.

It took an hour for James to get some of the money that he wanted and a promise that the rest would be there the next day. James was very thankful that the bank was just shady enough not to care why a man who looked as bad as James did wanted money and enough to do some damage. James had three things on his list besides some clothes that would at least be better than strictly linen pants and shirts.

Finding a shop for the clothes was easy. Finding a place to get a gun that James would trust to use was not that easy. James found a clothes shop first. It was simple to get clothes in his size, even if they hung a little on him. He would make sure that he fit into them as he should as soon as it was safe to start a workout regimen. James didn't like being unfit to defend himself.

The gun took an hour to find a bar that had under the table dealings. James scared the bartender enough that he didn't even try and kill James for the money that he flashed. James didn't put it past the man sending someone after him so he would have to be careful not to be followed. The cleaning kit was easy to find in a shop that catered to locals.

"You need a kit?" the shopkeeper asked in broken English.

"Stupid airlines lost part of my luggage, and my kit was in that part," James sounded bitter when he spoke, and the shopkeeper gave him the knowing smile of someone who heard that kind of story before.

"They always lose so many things, and one wonders how they stay in the air, no?" The shopkeeper showed James his various models of kids and James bought the best one as a thank you for not asking too many questions and at least acting like the believed James's story. The nondescript bag that it went into was a blessing. James turned to leave when he spotted a holster that he liked. It would better than keeping it in the waist of his pants. James bought that as well before he left, slipping it into the bag with the cleaning kit. James had plans to spend the afternoon checking over the gun with a close eye before relying on it to save his life.

James wandered around, seeing if anyone followed him, and he couldn't find a single one, but there was still at least one shop that he needed to find and finding the right one could take a while. James passed a few stores that advertised computers and laptops, but there was a smaller one that boasted a few more things than it. James slipped into that one and found that the shopkeeper of the store was a woman. James grinned and set his bag down on the glass case that separated her and him. She looked up from the computer with a pasted-on smile that spoke of her thinking that he was s tourist who wanted to get something cheap.

"I need a laptop, and I would prefer one that you built from scratch and are trying to sell more than I want an out of the box floor model."

The woman's smile turned into a pleased one.

"I have several like that," the woman said with a feinted English accent. "You are British?"

"Yes. On vacation and an unfortunate accident with a waiter and a glass of water fried the one that I brought with me. I work from cloud-based software so getting what I need on that end won't be an issue, but I need something fast and a hub for setting up a secure network that I can use between it and my phone." James didn't have anything more than a base model burner phone, but she didn't need to know that.

"I went to London for schooling. I sometimes miss London, but then I missed here when I was there. Let me get the models, and we can figure out which one you want."

It was just a few minutes later when she came out of the back with three laptops stacked on top of each other. James helped her set them down and open them up but let her turn them on. She came around the counter and signed them on. James saw that the password was just the name of the shop in English. He smiled at that.

James listened with his full attention as she went over the processors and storage and every little detail on the computers. He even asked a few questions of his own before choosing the most expensive because it had what he wanted. The network equipment was more standard out of the box, but James could work with that as he knew how to make it so that no one else could use it or even realise that it was there at all. James also bought a laptop case there that fit all of it in it. That would help when it was time for James to leave.

There was little to do but walk around to make sure that no one was following him after he got done at the tech store. Just before he left the central hub of the city for the beaches, James grabbed things to cook for lunch. He could spend the afternoon and evening getting everything set up for his new network and then checked everything one last time before accessing his server in a safe house tucked away in London. MI6 didn't know about it so even if they put his things from his flat into storage, he could still access his server.

In the dark of the early morning, just before the sun rose with the woman sleeping the sleep of the well fucked, James accessed his server and downloaded the program needed to make sure that he would be safe even in Turkey. James accessed the MI6 servers and found that little was being done to find him outside of hunting the borders of the rivers that fed from the main one that he had fallen into for his body. James didn't care as long as it seemed like they were staying with body retrieval and not hunting a living breathing person.

James accessed an MI6 feed that he shouldn't have known about much less been able to access, but he had made sure that he had access as soon as it had popped up in Q's new bigger flat for him and the kids. James typed in all of the credential information that would give him remote access, frowning as it was a little slow but given that he was as far as he was from a working connection and working with technology that wasn't an MI6 issued set-up, he could live with it. James looked at the time on his computer, which he had set to London time. It was just after five there, and Q should be asleep.

What he found instead was Q sitting in his pyjamas in front of a desktop working station his office in the new flat. James frowned and minimised the camera feed before he started to search for Q inside of MI5's database. James stopped because the flat that Q was living in had no name attached to it at all. James searched for Q's real name and found no trace of Walmond St. Clair or his two kids at all. James searched for Amelia and Ashton St. Clair only to find no record of them in even the hospital that they were born at.

James backed out of everything except for MI6's database, and there he searched. Everything on Q had been off the digital books so to speak, but his original pop up on MI6's radar was there. James found that it was gone. Redacted from all record. James felt a cold sweat break out on his skin before he reaccessed the camera feed. There he found buried in the data where the feed entered MI6 a case number. James followed that to find that it linked to an application. That application was just on M's computer and was blocked from access, except that James had the codes for that and got through in seconds. There was a notation typed in on the header of the application that Walmond St. Clair hacked MI6 and dropped his application on M's desktop for a low-level Q-Branch position.

There was only a single reason that MI6 would be protecting his identity and that was that M decided to pull him in because of the application. It was the first time that Q had shown an interest in MI6 at all. M would have to do a lot of fast talking to make sure that Q never figured out what he was being watched for years by MI6. James figured that those who had watched him would be scared into silence.

James didn't like that Q was going into MI6 without him there to watch over him, but he knew that with his head the way that it was, he wouldn't do a damned bit of good. He would have to work for a while to get his body back to fighting fit and all the while work on his mind.

Q would do well in MI6, and even if his entry position was that of someone very low, he wasn't going to last long there if he didn't want to. M would hate it if he let himself languish in a dead end position with what she thought he was capable of but she wouldn't have a way to make him take on more without tipping her hand. James almost wanted to go back to see that. To see M fighting with herself. She hated someone being lazy, but with the twins and his own fun endeavours that he did, he wouldn't be that bored at work.

James leaned back in the chair before looking at his housemate as she worked on things around the bungalow. She was content to ignore him, so James thought about what he wanted to do for the rest of the night. He clicked the button that would make the video feed full screen and made sure that it was muted as he watched the feeds from the inside of Q's flat.

Q stayed in his pyjamas before getting dressed for the day. He was dressed in a nice suit after he got the twins up and got them fed and dressed for the day. James accessed M's digital calendar and found that she had only a single interview at nine. James figured that it was M.

At seven thirty, London time Q let a lovely looking young woman into the flat and the twins were not that happy to see her. She smiled and waved at them, and James was pretty sure that the twins hated her. Q left an hour and a half early for the interview, but the trip from Hackney to London by the tube took about forty minutes, so it was good to allow for more time. James wished that he could follow Q all the way into MI6, but James didn't want to access the feeds for the offices because then he could be tracked by it.

Instead, James was just going to have to wait for Q to get home and maybe hack the application again after a suitable amount of time to see if Q was hired.

_October 2012_

James breathed deeply as he exited the sliding doors from Heathrow airport and stepped out into London proper. He looked around for a taxi, and one pulled up just as he stepped to the kerb. James waved it down.

"You picking up someone?" James asked when the window was lowered.

"Just you, Sir."

"Good." James rattled off the address of Q's flat. The feeds had been cut just two days after he had accepted the job that M had offered him, so James had been unable to check on him other than what his work file stated on him. The application had disappeared, but James had written down the number attached to it so that he could track the employee with that number after.

"Here you are, Sir."

"Good. I'm stepping out for a few, and then you'll take me to a different place. Keep the meter running."

James exited the taxi, looking up to see that the flat was dark. It was too late in the evening for Q not to be home and too early for him and the twins to be asleep. James jogged to the door of the complex and entered in the code that he remembered. The door opened, and he jerked it open with more force than was needed. He ran up the steps two at a time, thankful that we were not winded when he got to the floor that he wanted. There was no one around, and James tried the door and pressed his ear to it to listen. There were no sounds inside. James's frowned deepened, and he pulled his lock picking set from his pocket. It was a little too long on that before he heard the click of the lock, James made a mental note to practice that before he went out on a mission. He'd put his body through the paces in Turkey, but it seemed that he had forgotten a few tricks that he needed to keep up to date.

The flat was empty, and it wasn't just devoid of people. There was nothing inside of it. James relocked it and pulled it shut, not even wiping down the surfaces before he walked back to the stairs. James didn't know what to think about that. He hadn't thought that Q would move out of the place where he had been with his twins, even with getting a job at MI6.

James dropped into the back seat of the taxi and gave the driver the new address. James would rather stop by and get back to into his cloth armour before he showed up at M's flat to scare the shit out of her and report for duty. That trip took a good bit of time as the distance between Hackney and Bayswater was as great of a time distance as Hackney and Central London.

The driver gladly accepted James's generous tip as he grabbed his single bag from the back seat. The only thing he had brought with him was the laptop bag with his collection of technology he had amassed during his time enjoying death. James looked up his building but was shocked when he saw a light on inside of it. He had not told Alec that he was coming back. Alec had enough to worry about on his mission, so there was no one who could be in the flat. James walked up to the building and put in his code to get in. It didn't work. James frowned and tried again, thinking he had flipped a number. Nothing. James looked to see if the taxi had cleared the street and it had so he ran across the street. The little old lady who ran the flower shop was still inside, and James left his laptop bag with her. James liked her because she asked no questions, even when he had her stitch him up.

James climbed the fire escape that was in the building across from James's complex. When he got to the level that he wanted, he looked into his flat to see a woman there with two kids. James knew that his four bedroom flat was usually for families, but he had liked it after becoming a Double-O and it was perfect for him to live in and have a room for Alec as well a workout room, and a storage room.

The boy child turned around as the door opened and James was shown Q stepping into the flat. It was the twins and Q living in his flat. He had hoped that M hadn't sold his flat and put his things in storage because a body had never been found. He wanted to be utterly pissed about someone else living in his flat, but he watched as a very tired and worn out Q dropped to the floor to let the twins jump on him and all of that anger left. James did wonder why M had put Q in the flat and when she had done it.

James settled in for a long watch and focused on Q, who looked utterly worn out. James was glad that he had not been injured or one of the dead from the attack. James wished that he had audio in that room. To hear Q's voice once before meeting him inside of MI6. That wasn't to be though. James watched Q as he cuddled with his kids for a while before putting them to bed. The woman stayed, reading on the couch and ignoring everything that went on around her.

Q came out later and sat down at the bar in the kitchen. He had a glass of something in front of him but sipped at it. He looked worn out but happy.

When James could no longer ignore the call to go and see M, he climbed down the fire escape before hailing a new cab. The little old lady would watch his laptop for him. Her shop was open whenever she was awake, so if she had insomnia, she was awake for most of the night.

Breaking into M's flat was easy. All he had to do was wait for her. It would be better for him to not scare her but he knew that getting into MI6 right now was going to run the risk of him getting shot. He found M's drink cart and found a nice single malt that he rarely drank when he was buying it. It was dark, and James liked that. He hadn't shaved since the morning that he found out about the attack. It was better to look washed up than to let them think that he was at his best. There was no twinge in his shoulder as he had paid for a doctor to remove the shards of the bullet. James patted his shirt pocket where the shards were sealed in a baggie. He would have someone at MI6 look at them.

James grinned as he heard the keys in the door. He was very ready for what was coming.

* * *

Reporting to the new Quartermaster as a little strange for James. He was upset that Boothroyd had retired. As much as the man didn't advance with the times, he was a good man an James would miss him. Though he understood losing an eye in an experiment would slow someone down. James had been worried that Boothroyd had been one of the ones to perish but no. Neither he nor the man taking over for him had as the accident had happened just an hour before the explosion. The new Quartermaster had been in medical with Boothroyd working on getting things changed over.

The word was that the new Quartermaster had been at his laptop and stopped a more substantial explosion from happening. Only two had perished because he was able to shut off the gas lines just as soon as he realised what the goal was. James was looking forward to meeting the new Quartermaster, even if the man wanted to meet in The National Gallery of all places.

"Mister Bond?" A very familiar voice called out. James turned to Q and found him two steps away from him. James wasn't sure what Q was doing there unless the Quartermaster was sending Q to take James somewhere else to meet him. Yes MI6 was under attack, but even James knew that meeting here in public was the best.

"Yes?"

"What d you think of the painting?"

"What?" James looked at the painting before looking back at Q who was taking a seat beside James on the bench.

"It always makes me feel a bit melancholy. A grand old warship being ignominiously hauled away for scrap." Q sighed, and James could feel his eyes on his face. "The inevitability of times, don't you think? Still, the ship is beautiful even if she looks to be on her last leg. I think though there is still life in her."

"I see a bloody big ship," James said even though Q knew his name, he was sure that this was just a random meeting. James started to stand. "Excuse me."

"Would you like a drink?" Q asked, pulling a flask from his jacket pocket. He twisted off the cap and took a sip before holding it out to James. James dropped down and took the flask. As soon as it hit his tongue, he knew what it was. James looked at Q in mild shock. Did this mean that Q knew exactly who he was? Or was this a chance that Q had developed a taste for that brand? "I'm your new Quartermaster, 007."

"You must be joking." James nearly inhaled his next drink but covered himself and handed the flask back. Q sipped it before capping it back and putting it into his jacket again.

"Why? Because I am not wearing a lab coat?"

"Because you still have spots."

"My complexion is hardly relevant." Q gave James a look that was fond, and his eyes swept James's body. James knew that he looked good, but he wasn't prepared for Q to be that open about it. Not this early in meeting for the first time in Q's memory.

"Well, your competence is."

"You know exactly what my competence is, James, just like I know how much you hide yours."

"What?" James turned on the bench to actually look at Q. He looked like he was having the time of his life.

"Neither you nor M were that good at really hiding yourselves from me, and I know you had access to my systems when I wanted you to. You were the only one. Thank you for keeping most of what I did as Query off MI6's radar until I wanted it to be on there. Query and myself are actually linked now. When I backhacked the person who tried to really destroy Vauxhall, I couldn't hide what I was doing, and M threw a right fight. Then, of course, you came into her flat and pissed her off."

"I think you have me confused with someone else."

"No. I remember you from college, and I remember more that night that I was drugged than you probably want me to remember. I also remember how good of a kisser you are, Richard. It took a little, but I also figured out that you were the one to bring me alcohol on my eighteenth. You were always so cognizant of not leaving prints that you never thought to look for cameras watching. Neither you or any of the other MI6 agents ever realised that I was recording every single second of it all."

"Bloody hell."

Q grinned at James before he handed over a case. James took it but didn't open it. Q handed over an envelope next. "Ticket to Shanghai as well as documentation and passport."

"Thank you." James slipped those into his suit jacket before he opened up the case. There were two holes in the foam of the case. One had a gun, and the other was empty.

"Walther PPK/S 9mm short. Your preferred weapon yes? There's a microdermal sensor in the grip. It's been coded to your palmprint so that only you can fire it. Less of a random killing machine and more of a personal statement."

James pointed to the hole, and Q handed over a radio.

"Standard issue radio transmitter. Once you activate it, there is nowhere on this Earth that I won't be able to find you."

"Not exactly Christmas is it?" James hadn't been hoping for anything really, but none of the weird gadgets of Q-Branch made it seem like he really was a grand old warship being hauled away.

"After Boothroyd lost his eye, M wants me to crack down on the items that Q-Branch is working on in unsafe conditions, and as I don't have a lab or anything like it set up, I can't trust what we have on hand to send out. I would rather send you out without anything than to give you something that could hurt you. Have a good flight, 007 and please bring the equipment back in one piece."

James looked at Q one last time before he started to leave. He stopped and turned back to look at Q who was still staring at the painting.

"Has M told you anything about my new flat?"

"Your new flat? What's wrong with your old one?" Q asked, but the quirk of his lips told James that he was very well aware that he and the kids were living in his old flat.

"While I was enjoying the freedom that death gave me a young little upstart moved in with his two spawn."

"Oh, really? That must be very vexing. Too bad that young upstart hadn't left your room exactly like it was, eh?" Q stood up from the bench and went back the way that he came. James eyed his back until he was gone from sight.

James inhaled deeply as he exited The National Gallery. He had gone to one of the safe houses that he and Alec used when they didn't feel safe going home but Q's statement intrigued him. He hailed another cab and asked to be taken back to his old flat. James tried his code to get inside, and this time it worked. James opened the door and took the stairs. It was comforting to slip right back into his old building. The door to the flat opened before James even got there.

"Hello, Mister Bond," the woman who had been there when James had arrived back in London said as she opened the door. "My name is Nadia."

James nodded his head but waited until she stepped back to allow him inside. James looked around to see that some of the things of his were there. None of it was in storage. James's spartan life was well on display as the majority of what was in the flat was Q's.

"Nadia, who is it?" Ashton asked.

James smiled at Ashton and saw that Amelia was looking at him from behind her brother's back. Seeing them up close was very different than seeing them in a photo. They looked exactly like their father.

"Do you remember that work friend that your father said might come and stay with us?"

"Oh, Uncle James?" Amelia asked. She darted around her brother and wrapped her arms around James's legs. "We have your room ready!"

Amelia pulled back and grabbed James's hand to tug him along. James let her do it and held out his hand to Ashton to see if he wanted to come along. James had not stayed in the master bedroom of the flat, and it was apparent when James looked that Q had taken that room over. It had been James's workout room. What had been the storage room held two bed with a very evident divide that one was Ashton's and the other Amelia's. James was led to his room that was spotless and in the exact same condition that it had been in when James had last been inside of it. The sheets were the only things that were changed, and James figured that Q had done it as soon as word had made it to him the day before that James was back in London.

"Papa said that you would be coming back even when Ashton tried to take over the room," Amelia said before he let go of James's hand and climbed up onto the bed. Ashton followed but tugged James with him. James walked up to the bed and helped Ashton up onto it. A few seconds later, James heard the jingle of a bell, and then Walther was jumping up as well.

"Hello you," James said before he held his hand out for Walther to sniff. "And when did Ashton try and take over my room?"

"Just after we moved in. He didn't want to room with me anymore. So Papa told him that if he slept in the living room alone for three nights, he could take over your room until you came back, and then he let him get his own room."

"Yeah?" James asked.

"He lasted two hours before he jumped into bed with Papa."

"This place makes weird noises."

"That it does. I need to pack a few things for a trip that I have to take for work. So why don't you two skedaddle out of here, and I'll come play with you before I leave?"

"Fine," they both sighed before slipping off of the bed. James shut the door behind them and leaned his head against it. None of this made sense. There was no reason for those two kids to call him Uncle. He had done nothing besides buying a book for them each. He had never met them before that night. James pushed off of the door and walked to his safe. It wasn't hidden as he had no reason to hide it in his own home. James opened it to find that it was as he left it except for his guns were recently cleaned.

Packing a bag, James listened to the kids playing. He knew that Q would be staying at MI6 to get things ready for James's mission. James's phone chimed, and he looked at it, finding that it was the time of his flight. James pocketed his phone as he heard a door open. James looked at the bedroom door, but it was shut. He slung his bag over his shoulder and stepped to his door. He smelled the Thai as soon as he took his first breath. The kids were seated on the floor in the living room one on each side of the coffee table. Nadia sat down in the spot between them and waved for James to sit down opposite her.

"So Nadia you are their nanny?"

"Nanny cum bodyguard. I was hired by Wallie's new boss for when he is not here."

James scowled a little at the name, but he understood. He did not know Nadia from MI6 so probably another rescue of sorts like the family that had taken Q in after he had turned in his father. James ate what he was given and listened to the twins talk about their day. Amelia kept looking at James and about halfway through the meal she picked up her plate of food and scooted down to press up against James. Nadia only raised an eyebrow at her but said nothing. A few bites of food later and Amelia lifted up James's arm to slip under it and into his lap.

"Can I help you?"

"Papa doesn't talk about you much. Just that you were someone from his college days that he knew and you were letting him move in here after he got his new job because it was closer to work and he wouldn't have to ride his bicycle anymore."

James looked at Nadia, but all she did was raise her eyebrow. That was an interesting spin on things, and he could understand why Q would tell them that given that he had kept a lot of the place exactly the same and just added their things.

"What did your Papa do with the other bedroom?"

"Oh, that's Alec's room. We don't go in there. It smells weird." Ashton was making a face like he had eaten something that tasted really bad.

James laughed. He knew what Ashton meant. There was more and more from Q that just made James very confused and right now he needed to be focused on his mission. He had a lot to do, and he didn't have a lot of time to do it. Someone was after M, and even if James didn't like her that much at the moment, his job was to save her and to protect England.

* * *

James stared at the remains of Skyfall. He wasn't as upset as he should be at the destruction of his childhood home but instead, the grief for M was overshadowing it all. James tried to understand what he could have done differently.

The sound of a helicopter told James that someone was arriving. James had turned on his cell phone again after he had collected himself after M had died in his arms. Tanner had been the first call. James didn't turn to greet the newcomers. He stayed staring at the burning shell that was Skyfall Lodge.

"Bond," Mallory said.

James felt the man stop beside him. James said nothing. The sound of another helicopter getting close almost made James look.

"006 and 008 arrived back in London just an hour ago from their missions. I tasked them with getting M's body."

James nodded. Mallory stepped back from where he was beside James. There was nothing for a few minutes, and then Mallory stepped almost all the way back but stayed at James's back.

"It was a grand old house. Once I realised where you were going, I looked in your files on the lodge. It was in need of a good spruce up, but she had good bones."

"My father loved the house. It was the only reason that I even kept it and the land in my name. Kincade said that someone had bought it but didn't want anything sold off until he could get out and see what he wanted to keep. The extra weapons were useful. My father had a well-stocked armoury."

"I think that you had best talk with Q about that," Mallory said.

James finally turned around to look at Mallory to see him looking off at the helicopter. Q was sitting on the floor of it, his legs hanging out. His eyes were on the burning lodge.

"What do you mean I should talk to Q about that? What's he going to do erase the fact that anymore bought it? I'll pay the person off who had bought it."

"The entire flight here, Q filled me in on his whole past, Bond. From the moment that he hacked MI6 to turn in his father to the time that he knew you weren't dead and made sure that you lost nothing. His assets were disclosed when he joined up with MI6. I know of what the other Double-O's did over the years and other junior agents once other agencies started to back off of him. He does not seem upset about it even though he has every right to be pissed off that MI6 stopped him from getting any job that he wanted in the tech world."

"I think he wanted MI6 from the beginning and got tired when they never approached him. He hacked M's computer and dropped his application for a low-grade tech position on her desktop."

"Yes. He hacked my computer much the same way to give me the alert about this. He didn't say that M was dead in that, that happened when he joined Tanner and me on the helicopter." Mallory looked back at James finally. "He's drugged. Medical gave him a shot of something to keep him calm for the flight. Do be gentle."

James watched Mallory as he walked back to the helicopter. Tanner was there getting out on the other side. James watched as Mallory and Tanner spoke to Q before the two of them got into the helicopter. James frowned as it took off. James looked to see the second helicopter lifting on as well. Q stayed where he was, turning to watch the helicopter take off. James walked up to Q's back and waited until Q turned around to face him.

By then the helicopters were gone from sight and gone from hearing.

"You bought Skyfall?"

"One day while you were watching me when I lived with my foster parents you drew a sketch of this place. From the perspective, I could get from the satellite it was from the church. I went behind M's back and bought the land after she had it sold off with your assumed death. If nothing else and you never came back, I would have made this my fortress of solitude."

"That's a Superman reference yes?"

"Yes." Q smiled, but it wasn't a happy smile. "I found the cell of people that Silva was going to send to kill you if you were left alive. I trapped them in the car they were waiting in and blew it up. It was a totally online car. Before they could shoot themselves out of it, a SAM blew them up. It was Silva's last line of defence to make sure that he took out MI6. Without M and without you, the rest, he thought would crumble because he figured that no one had as much, what did you say it was a pathetic love of country?"

"He didn't think about you."

"No, he didn't. In some ways, I destroyed my own life over pathetic love of country. Though I think that I survived the fire and the destruction and came out stronger."

"Was me losing this really the only reason that you bought it?"

"I disclosed all of my assets to MI6. M knew, and Tanner and that was all that was needed. Why not buy an ancient Scottish lodge in the middle of nowhere? As well as two others to double the size of the land? I figured that Ash and Mia would like it in the summer. Have the run of the moors. I'll have to figure out a place to stay."

"How much money do you have?"

"I'll tell you that at some point." Q's smile turned into a grin for a few seconds, and James wanted to question what it was that would earn him finding out.

"At some point?" James liked the look of Q smiling or even grinning at him, even if it still wasn't a happy smile. James wanted to lean in and kiss him because Q seemed to be the one constant that he had since before he had even joined MI6. Q had shaped James's life for so long. If Q had never turned in his father to MI6, James would have never met M or Alec and would never have wanted join MI6 when he got bored with the Navy.

James needed to get himself set up and his head on straight before he brought Q and the kids into his life like that. James took a few steps away from Q.

"Why did Mallory leave us here?"

"Helicopter is only rated for three on board. There is a third heading to us. It was behind by about a half an hour."

"Then what are we going to do for that half an hour?"

"I figured that you would say your goodbyes. I know that you never really liked this place, but Kincade is worth saying goodbye to. No matter how short your childhood was here, it's best to say goodbye the right way." Q turned toward where the church was, and James could see Kincade making his way to them. It was the dark of the night but still there enough light from his torch.

James followed behind Q; it felt a little like old times. Kincade looked Q up and down as they met in the middle of the moor.

"You have interesting friends, James."

"Alec and Ariana are not even the weirdest of who we work of, Mister Kincade," Q said. He extended his hand and Kincade reached out to shake it. "I'm Quincy."

"That's the second time I've heard that weird name in recent months. A man named Quincy bought this land. That's going to be hard to explain. Maybe your new friends can help with that James."

"No need, Mr. Kincade. I would like to discuss with your new wages. I trust you want to stay on?"

"Excuse me? Your Quincy St. Claire?"

"Yes. I knew that James wasn't dead so I made sure that he had a place to call home, even if he hates Skyfall on some level. I'll be rebuilding and no matter what James thinks it will go the way that I want. If you would be so kind, I'll make you the person that is the contact for the people who are doing the demo and then the renovations."

Kincade looked at James, and when James smiled at him, Kincade laughed.

"The kids will love it."

"Kids?" Kincade asked looking very happy at that prospect.

"Yes, I have twin four-year-olds. Ashton and Amelia. They are right terrors but good little ones."

"It'll be nice to have kids on the land again." Kincade looked at James. "No matter whose children they are. Mister St. Clair."

"Call me Q. It's the name I prefer, and after this, I won't respond to anything else from you." Q nodded like it was the end of the discussion and he started to walk away. James could tell that he was overly careful, a side effect of being drugged. James wondered how long he would be like that. James kept an eye on him even though the danger was long gone.

"He seems like a nice enough chap," Kincade said.

"Only met him a few days ago really. Known of him for longer."

"So what is it that you do?"

"I work for the government."

"No, I got that. Emma pretty much confirmed that. Your Q seems like he is going to be the one to run you."

"Yes well, he has another thing coming to him."

Kincade smiled at James but said nothing. The sound of a helicopter had James looking. There was someone in the back, and James didn't like that. He reached for a gun that wasn't there.

"Want this?" Q asked as he held out a gun to James. Q had snuck up on James it seemed. James glared. Q just grinned. Q's hand moved, tightening his grip on the gun, James watched the lights flare green before Q unclenched from the weapon. James took it and settled it into his hand. The lights turned green.

"I thought it was coded for my hand."

"I would never give out a gun that could be used against me without a way to make sure I could use it as well." Q had a cheeky grin on his face before he started forward toward the helicopter. The doors opened, and James watched as Alec got off. Q pressed a kiss to Alec's cheek as he handed over a travel mug of something. James glared and did not even try and hide it. Alec just raised an eyebrow before getting back onto the helicopter. James turned to look at Kincade and nodded at him.

"Brave new world," James said before he started forward.


	14. Chapter 14

_October 2012_

James settled in at the furthest table from the rest. It gave him the perfect line of sight of the hotel that he wanted to access, without actually getting a room there, and the rest of the street. Mexico City was getting ready for its annual Day of the Dead festival, so it was easy for James to blend in, even if he was British. There were all kinds of people in Mexico City at the moment, but the only ones that James cared about were in the other hotel that James was watching.

There was a chime on his phone, and James looked at it, frowning as he did so. It was from Q and Q was no happy at all. James had turned off the GPS feature on the phone that had been issued to him in the wake of Q taking over as Quartermaster for MI6. The destruction of Skyfall and M's death had been just months before, but still, Q was trying his hardest to pull James out of the funk that he was in. James had a mission to do, and he didn't need the added distraction that was Q and the family that he made with his two kids. James swiped away the message without opening it. Just like the last five.

Q was trying to track James, and it was a good bet that there was some kind of tracking ability in whatever message he sent. Q had been vexed when James had taken over the phone and made sure that Q couldn't hack the phone. James was one of the only ones at MI6 that could do it that wasn't in Q-Branch. Q made sure that his new underlings were properly scared of him enough to not help Double-O's with anything without proper clearance or at least asking Q first. Alec had learned that the month before when Q had been the one to grab him by his ear and cart him out of Q-Branch after trying to sweet talk a lovely young lady into letting him field test a pocket flamethrower in London. The video had been sent to every single Double-O, and they were not allowed to not watch it. It overtook whatever they opened the email with, whether it was the standard phone that all Double-O's had or the work computer or laptop. James had laughed while watching his best friend get thrown out of Q-Branch in such a childish manner. The threat that Q had given was that the next time that he had to do it, everyone in MI6 was going see the videos. James took that to mean that every single video that Q had of it would be shown, meaning that not only was the current agent who was getting shamed going to be public fodder but any other agent who had been treated like that before would be shown again as well.

The new M, Gareth Mallory, was a very different man and he allowed Q to do whatever he needed to do to keep the Double-O's in line when it came to his tech and his branch. James did not know exactly how it was handled under M before that. James had only come after the chaos and he never really asked for anything from anyone but Boothroyd.

James smiled as the waitress dropped off a fresh coffee for him. He made sure that his pleasure in her form was known. She blushed and sashayed away from him. James looked back up at one of the two rooms that he was looking at for what he needed to see a very beautiful woman step out onto the little terrace. She looked at the ground below. James watched her as she watched the building crowds. He waited for her to leave the window and prepared to meet her when she exited the hotel.

Whatever Marco Sciarra had planned, James had time to do what he needed before the plan came to fruition. He would do what he needed as far as luring the beautiful woman into allowing him access to her room. James reached up to touch his ear, making the motion seem like he was brushing a fly away from his ear. He had got used to Q being in his ear even over the short time so far hat Q had been Quartermaster. Doing this mission without Q was hard.

Q though would not look at this mission the same way, and it was the reason that James had opted not to alert Q of what he was doing. Q's definition of what was better for England might just be different from James's. James couldn't see turning in his father to MI6 to get him possibly killed, but Andrew Bond and Q's father were very different people. James had no depth for feeling the cold love of a parent.

James closed his eyes and enjoyed the sun on his body for a little bit. He wanted to go to the pool in his own hotel and get some sun in. He was losing some of his tan from his time in Turkey, and he didn't like that.

Downing his coffee, James got up from the table and left a good tip as well as his payment. As he started to slip his phone in his pocket, he felt it vibrate.

_I will find you, James_ was all that the text message said and James could read it without actually opening it. James grinned because while Q might be able to find him, it would not be before he was done with his mission and it would not be Q coming to him either. With Q's fear of flying and the distance that Mexico was from London, there was no hoping a plane to get to him.

James was on two weeks of forced downtime, something that Mallory was making the Double-O's take their downtime as actual downtime. James and a few of the other Double-O's would take low-class missions that any agent would usually do. Mallory wasn't going to let them do that anymore. For some people, Mallory would be the perfect boss. He actually gave a fuck about his employees, from that woman who had nearly been assaulted leaving work one night to the borderline psychopathic Double-O's. It made for an interesting place as Mallory, Q, and even Tanner was working on bringing MI6 not out of the shadows but into the current century. M had one thing right from that farce of an inquiry into the Silva debacle. The world was more in the shadows, and England didn't know who their enemies were because they were behind a computer hiding where it was hard to track them. Q was going to the best line of defence as far as that went.

Mexico was lovely for October and James hoped that everything went well and he would be able to enjoy the rest of his downtime.

_November 2012_

James knew that things had gone not the way that he would have wanted them to. The whole killing Sciarra had turned out very badly and the extended helicopter fight to actually kill him was going to get James in some serious trouble. James wasn't sure what would happen since technically he was operating under the orders of M, just not the current one.

Once again thinking about the video told James that M had never intended to survive Silva's hate on for her. He was still unable to actually trace who had sent the package to him and if it was someone who could help him.

After James had landed the helicopter, he had fled to his hotel and packed up before making sure that no one followed him as he got on the quickest route out of Mexico City. Which had ended up being a flight that to take him home to London had two connecting flights. James didn't like it, but he would take it. He would have to burn the alias that he used to get into Mexico without alerting Q-Branch that he wasn't where he was supposed to be. That was bad on two fronts, one it was one of the better ones that James had, and it had never become suspect before and two, once Q figured out the alias and started to research, James's whole scheme for his others would be laid bare. Just like a hacker, even people who made fake documents had their ways and their habits.

"You do realise that standing out in the rain is not the way to go about coming home," Q said from behind James. James turned around because he had not noticed anyone getting near him. It was late at night, and the rain was disrupting James's normal hearing ability. Q was underneath the awning of the store beside the alley with a cigarette pressed to his lips. James had not realised that Q smoked. Q's flat didn't smell like it nor had any of them before, and James wondered if every single person watching him had missed it. Q took a long drag of the cigarette before pulling it from his lips and holding it out to James. James sighed and started toward him because a good smoke was just the thing that he needed. James smoked when the occasion fit, and it was usually when on a mission. Smoking was a perfect habit to have when needing to cosy up to someone.

"Just enjoying the calm before the storm." James stepped under the awning, enjoying the fact that water was not running down his neck anymore, even with his upturned collar.

"James, it's after nine. The kids are asleep, and Nadia is gone. There is just me." Q looked at James like he was stupid and it was a look that James had never thought that he would find endearing.

James raised his eyebrow at Q before he took the cigarette being offered him. He realised that the puff that Q had taken was the only one taken off of it. Q raised up another unlit one and held James's hand steady before leaning in to light his of off James's.

"Pity," James said with a leer. "I thought that we would share, they taste better that way."

Q just raised an eyebrow at James before taking a long puff. He exhaled the smoke and looked up at the flat.

"I guess I should be glad that you at least attempted to come instead of hiding out in one of yours and Alec's safe houses. You were going to come up right?"

"I don't know."

Q looked at James with a little bit of anger there in his eyes. James ducked his head. He was being honest, and this reason was why he didn't like being honest.

There was silence, and the only thing that was shared was their smoke when they exhaled. Q field stripped his butt when he was done, letting the paper and charred tobacco drop and he stuffed the filter into his jeans pocket. Q pushed himself off of the side of the entryway before he looked at James with such a strange look on his face. James wasn't sure what it was.

"You have until I get to my bedroom to make up your mind. I will lock down the flat as soon as I get in there."

Q said nothing else as he walked past James. James watched him jog across the street and then kept on watching as Q entered the building. James took several puffs on his cigarette before he started across the street. James had liked the security features that had been added to the flat, and while James knew that it was because Q wanted the twins safe, James liked that it kept Q safe as well, when he was home. Q had been logging more and more hours at work with the stupid merger that was happening aftermath of the Silva debacle. James had been on the receiving end of the rants that Q had given over it and the idiot that was heading it, Max Denbigh.

James punched in the code to get into the building and walked to the steps instead of taking the lift. James took the stairs at a run, taking several at a time. When James exited the stair well, he saw the flat door shut, and he walked up to it. There were cameras outside that showed Q who was standing outside of it, but James stopped just as he was reaching for the doorknob. There was no sound from the flat, but James could see Q stripping off his coat and grabbing the small towel that hung on the coat rack that hung on the wall. It was there for Q to dry his hair and to dry off the kids after going out in the rain. James had found it kitschy and sweet but never told Q that.

There was a storm coming of James's own making, and he wasn't sure what it was going to bring. James laid his hand on the doorknob and then just seconds later he felt the tumblers lock and the bar that went through the door from wall to wall slid into place. James could probably hack it, but that ran the risk of making MI6 known to the fact that it was happening and James didn't want a tactical team arriving and running the risk of waking the kids. They were all better off with him going to the safe house that was a block over. It was newer, and James hadn't moved a lot of things into yet. It was cold and empty and it would better than anything else for him until this was done, whatever end that was.

James pulled his collar up tighter around his neck before he started toward the lift. It was better this way. Q would understand when it was all over or he wouldn't.

* * *

James knew that his smugness pissed Q off to no end, but it was all that he could be at the moment. Q had got his back with that damned prick joke, and while Q knew what he meant, and so did James, James wasn't supposed to know. There was little that James didn't now when it came to Q. Even when it came to things that were secrets that Q thought that no one knew, James knew them from the short time that they had lived together. Q still got up early to run or do yoga when he was home. If he stayed over at the office, Q would run in the gym for the DOuble-O's or do yoga in there.

There was, however, the look on Q's face when he realised that James was not alone when he arrived at Q's hotel room. James could have soothed the hurt some, but he chose not to. Knowing that Madeleine wasn't some strange woman that James had picked up on the side of the road and was, in fact, Mr White's daughter would have gone a long way, but James kept his mouth shut.

"Bond, we need to talk."

"We can talk when I get back to London."

Q looked at James with a strange look and James wondered if that was a new look that was just for James or if James had never seen it before because he had never been this hurtful. Q turned to his computer and started to sit down. James, however, noticed something on his neck, just above the sweater that he was wearing. James reached out and grabbed Q's arm. He pulled Q back around the desk, and then the smell of a recently fired gun filled James's nose. It was from Q and not from himself like he thought.

James was rough with Q as he turned him and brushed his thumb over the dark streak. He looked down and realised that Q had changed his sweater. The smear on Q's neck was blood.

"What the hell is this?"

"Nothing that doesn't need to talk about until London," Q said as he jerked himself out of James's arms and sat down at the computer before James could do anything else. Q grabbed a tissue from the box on the desk and reached back to wipe his neck, getting the rest of the blood. "The ring is connected to several interesting people and to Franz Oberhauser, but I'm not sure on exactly what it all means. They all seem to be part of a huge operation that has been working in the shadows for years with one interesting connection."

"Yes?"

"You." Q pushed his glasses up his nose and turned the computer around, making James go around to the front of the desk to look at it. Every single name that was on the screen was a stab to his heart. Every single person who had taken a little of who James was over the years since he had joined MI6. He wasn't sure what it meant though.

"What is this organisation?"

"I don't know. I will, however, make it my priority once I make it back to MI6. My flight leaves soon so I need to get going."

"You flew here?"

"How else was I supposed to get here, Bond? I wasn't going to be able to make it here and back by train before the deadline of M and Tanner arriving back and wanting to see you in the flesh after you sunk my newest car into a river after a chase through Rome. It has all of the earmarks of your signature and Tanner point blank asked M if you were still in London. I lied and said you were in Chelsea when he asked me. I'll figure something out, you do what you have to do."

Q closed the lid on the laptop and started to pack up. James was silent because he didn't know what to say about it all.

"SPECTRE," Madeleine said.

"What?" James and Q asked at the same time.

"The organisation's name is SPECTRE."

Q looked at her like he wanted to demand more answers but was unwilling for some reason.

"And L'Americain?" James asked. He turned around to fully face her, making sure that he couldn't see Q. "Your father said that you would be able to lead me to L'Americain, whoever that is."

"It's a place."

Q passed by James and didn't stop until he reached the door. He turned around then and looked James in the eye before he started to speak. "The restroom is out of order. It's how I got the room so cheap for such a short time. Wasn't going to be staying long enough to sleep much less do much in the bathroom."

James frowned but before he could ask anything, Q was gone, and James wasn't sure why he was upset that Q was so short with him. James knew that not following Q up into the flat that night had hurt him but it was better this way, especially now with this whole thing of an organisation that made it their mission to destroy any chance at life that James had. Q didn't need to be caught up in that.

Madeline stepped away from James, and he watched her step over to the bathroom door and open it. James heard the gasp, so he quickly stepped over to see two men on the floor of the bathroom, dead. James felt his gut clench at the sight. Madeline pushed past James to get away.

"Who was that man?"

"My Quartermaster," James said offhandedly.

"And he can do that?"

"He handles all of the weapons that we use to defend England, and he has one of the better range scores for the whole of the division. I just..." James trailed off and closed his eyes for a second. Q had tried to tell him about this. That, someone, had followed him back to here. Probably more of the men who had taken Madeline. Instead of listening to him, James had brushed him off thinking that it had to do with James appearing with a woman. Q was going to the airport alone with more of those men out there. The ones who wanted to take him wanted to take Madeleine.

"Will he be okay?" Madeline asked.

"Yes." James didn't know if he was being truthful or not, but Q had to be okay to get to the airport alone if for nothing else than if they were watching. If James followed him to the airport, they would think him more important than Madeline, and that would be bad. It was better to keep them off of Q's radar. James looked at the TV to see the news about the attack in South Africa. It was all too neat. The attacks happenings with the places that had to approve Nine Eyes for it to go into effect for at least part of the world. It wasn't good, and James didn't feel like he was going to like what was coming.

* * *

James settled into the helicopter that was going to take him to a plane that would take him home. Madeleine was settled in beside him. Even with Nine Eyes going live, there were still friends of James's that would help him and not ask for much more than just getting rid of Nine Eyes.

Felix climbed in next and look at James before looking at Madeleine.

"We will arrive in London just after full dark. I can't stay as I am expected back in the US, but I am glad that I was able to help."

"Nine Eyes goes live tonight at midnight. I need to be there to stop it." James kept his eyes locked with Felix who just stared at him like he was kind of stupid. Felix said nothing though, and for the entire helicopter flight to the CIA plane, there was nothing said. James liked it because it gave him time to get himself settled. Felix was the first off of the helicopter, and when James stepped off, he realised why. There was a small group of medical looking people standing around a van looking vehicle that James saw at disaster relief efforts.

"You are submitting to having them look at you. I don't like the look of those injuries on your head and neck. If you do not, I will make sure that the jet does not take off, James."

James wanted to call Felix a traitor, but James agreed that being looked at was probably a good idea. Madeleine went into the van with him. There were small versions of an X-ray machine and a CAT scan inside of it. Madeleine told them what he had endured and what Oberhauser was trying to do. James didn't listen to that too much, just did what he was told, even stripping out of his clothes and leaving them in a pile on the floor of the vehicle. He was not ashamed of his nakedness even though one of the nurses tried to push a hospital gown on him. He just threw a towel over his crotch. Madeleine grinned at him from over the tops of the head of the nurse that was taking his vitals.

After the exam was finished with a quick read of the X-rays and the CAT scan, James was stuck with a needle, and a bag of saline slung over his shoulder. James was glad that they let him get dressed in an outfit before forcing the saline drip on him. James knew that it was because he was slightly injured and was heading into danger again as soon as they got to London.

Once on the jet, James laid down on the couch section with the bag thrown over the back. He closed his eyes and made himself go to sleep. It wasn't going to be long enough for the sleep that he needed, but he was trained to sleep when needed, and this was needed, as much as he could get.

There was a lot to do once James exited the jet and the first thing was meeting up with M. Felix had taken care of that using a safe house that James had told Felix about that was MI6's. Something off the books that Mallory would know about and so would Tanner, so it was perfect for Felix to be the in between in case C was watching them all.

It was a rush to get there and do it so that he passed no cameras that were known in London, at least not any that caught his face. The area of London that they were heading for was strangely empty. James didn't like it, but all he could do was keep his eye out.

* * *

James didn't realise it until after he had said the words to Mallory that he meant them. Q could do it, and Q was going to do it. It wasn't even that London and the free world was at stake, it was that James was at stake and Nine Eyes couldn't come to fruition.

Q had been on the bridge watching as James walked back to Madeleine who before now James had convinced himself that he could walk away with. Leave MI6 and forget everything that had been done to him in his life by a man who never aged past petty childhood jealousy. But when James turned around when he had reached Madeleine on the edge of the bridge, Q wasn't in sight anymore. James had felt his heart near break in two at that. Q had stood by him through the whole thing and only to leave when James needed him the most.

The Double-O program was officially disbanded however Mallory had not be removed entirely from his job yet. He was still working the transition, and with the death of C, Mallory was technically now the head of the venture.

"Miss Swann is resting in a safe house that Moneypenny took her to," Mallory said as he sat down in the chair that James had sat in for his bollocking he got after Mexico. "After I ordered Q and Moneypenny to stop following you so that C could not follow you any more than he already was. I wasn't aware at the time that C was working for the person you were chasing. Q though didn't. He made sure that C couldn't trace him, unsure how as the words went over my head. He found the DVD."

"DVD?" James asked. He never got an alert that said that his safehouse flat had been invaded, but if Q was the one, then he could see that not happening.

"The one that M sent to you. Don't play coy. Moneypenny confirmed it when Q confronted her. You don't trust us and given that M told you what to do, it would have behoved you to make it a mission of importance to MI6. She was not a fool, and her instincts were spot on in all aspects of keeping England safe. Explain to me why?"

"Because she didn't tell me to tell anyone."

Mallory looked at James for a few seconds.

"I'll be meeting with the PM in the next hour to explain everything that has happened. Until such a time that you are allowed to go on missions again, you are grounded in London, and this time I mean it. If you are outside of London, I will have you thrown in a cell. Go see Q."

James nodded and stood up. He was still in the clothes that Felix had given him, and he wanted to change. He wanted to into clothes that were his. James stood up and nodded his head at Mallory before he left the office. He felt out of sorts and didn't know what to do really. He didn't want to go and see Q at all. Instead, James left the temporary housing that MI6 was working from in while their old building was being fixed up. With Oberhauser setting the building to implode they would have to build from scratch, and the ugly as hell building that C had built would just not do for MI6.

The garment bag was handing right where it was supposed to be in the locker in the makeshift workout room for MI6. He showered and changed before leaving for the night. He was worn out and ready to just go home. James thought about home and what it really meant. James hadn't felt like a place was home in a long time. Skyfall had been home until his parents died. Then he was welcome into the Oberhauser home until he died. James never felt a home with his aunt and never at the schools.

James waved down a taxi outside of the temporary building for MI6. He looked to where Q had taken Q-Branch to hide it from C's eyes before he settled down into it. The bridge was still swarming with the locals. James rattled off the address and settled into the seat to watch the world pass him by as the vehicle was driven to his end destination.

When the car stopped, James was shocked to see that he was outside of the flat that he shared with Q. James swore that he gave his other flat's address. James slipped out of the cab and stood at the base of the building to see that there were no lights on in the flat. James knew that all that meant is that everyone was asleep. With Q in MI6, the kids were inside with Nadia.

Deciding that he was too tired, Jame slipped into the elevator to make it up with as little energy extended as possible. Nadia was standing at the lift door when it opened. James didn't know what to expect. Nadia didn't talk much at all to James. She didn't really talk at all unless it was to the kids or to Q about the kids. She was insular, and James couldn't get a read on her if tried, which he didn't because she kind scared him.

"Q messaged that he was stuck at work, something to do with the hullabaloo in town. I didn't ask, and he didn't tell. He didn't tell me that you were back in town."

"Got back tonight. I just came to get some sleep."

Nadia looked James up and down before pushing off the side of the lift doors and started back toward the flat. James followed. There was little to do except for head into his bedroom. He didn't lock the door, but he did shut it so that he could strip down to his underwear. Walther slept in the middle of James's bed when James was away because the sun came in James's bedroom windows more than any other. James didn't open the door again, but he did lay down in bed.

There wasn't much that James wasn't used to but trying to move in bed and not being able was a new one. James forced his eyes open and saw a mop of black hair in front of him. It was Amelia, and she was cuddled into his chest. There was someone behind him, and he assumed that it was Ashton. James brushed the hair out of Amelia's face to see that she was dead asleep. Her face was slack, but she looked so at peace. James shifted her away enough to where he could roll to look at her brother. Ashton opened his eyes and saw that James was looking down at him. Ashton moved, pushing at James until James laid on his back. Ashton crawled to lay down on James's chest under the blankets and curled there, falling asleep as soon as he closed his eyes again. Amelia curled closer and James wrapped his arm around her. The kids barely knew him, and yet Q had told them enough about him and the things that James had done for Q over the years, so they thought that they knew him. They loved him without ever having met and for James that was scary.

Home. James knew that he had a home here and he had known it but never let himself see it. Q had said as much when James had arrived to find his flat invaded with a family that he didn't know. It was his, and it was Q's and it was the kids, and it was a home.

James stayed in bed until the kids got up for the day. Nadia had slept on the couch with a gun, but the kids didn't seem to question that at all. James ushered them into the kitchen and got them a bowl of cereal each. Ashton liked sweet cereals with regular milk while Amelia liked the unsweet ones but sweet coconut milk. James had started to eat his cereal the same way when he was in a rush. He liked the slight sweetness of the coconut milk on the cereal and Amelia liked that they had something in common. For James and Ashton is was reading. Ashton liked to be read to, and James would tell him sanitised versions of his missions.

"What are we going to do today?" Amelia asked James after she handed him her bowl and Ashton's after they were done eating.

"I don't know. I'm going to go and get your father from work so that he can get some rest for a little bit then we can plan for the whole day of what we want to."

Nadia only looked at James with a strange look on her face before she left the room. James wondered what that was about.

"When are you going to go and get Papa?" Ashton asked.

"I was thinking now. I could head nad get him, and then we can be quiet all morning until he wakes up. I think also maybe we could cook him dinner."

"Cook Papa dinner?" Amelia asked.

"Yes. While your Papa is sleeping, we can go to the store and figure out what we want to cook." James remembered well learning how to cook from a young age at the hands of his mother. She adored cooking with him. James had ket that love of cooking even though it had hurt at first.

"Would you like me to stay after you arrive back with Wallie?" Nadia asked.

James looked at twins who both looked at James with pouty faces. James knew that face well. Q always wore that pout when a Double-O, especially James, did something that upset set.

"I think that maybe I'll take the twins in with me to get their Papa."

Ashton took off at a run to the bedroom to get dressed, stripping out of his pyjamas as he ran. Amelia sighed and followed at a sedate pace, not stripping until the after she entered the room. James grinned at them.

"What is your angle, James?" Nadia asked pulling James's thoughts and his eyes away from the twins.

"Angle?"

"Yes. You've been here in name only since you got back from your little vacation in Turkey."

James looked at her in mild shock. He had never said where he was and Q would never reveal secrets.

"M thought that as a nanny I could slip into his life and seduce him to remain where I am with no issue. However, she really didn't understand how gay Q is. I agree with your assessment that desperation and loneliness are what brought about the twins. Hell, I'm shocked that he got it up enough to even fuck her. My name is Nadia Orden, and no you won't find it on a paper in MI6 except for in the safe of M. I was a child soldier trained to kill. I found out that I was fed lies and I killed those who lied to me, and I sold myself to the highest bidder, except it wasn't money they were offering, it was freedom and M's offer of doing what I wanted was the best. I was surgically operated on when I was a teen and my ability to have children was destroyed. I adore kids, but I don't really want one of my own, so I am a nanny for MI6. I take he jobs that I like, and the twins at least liked me compared to the babysitter that they had before. MI6 pays for my flat, and a small stipend and Q pay the rest. I keep up with the training that all agents take. I also know all threats that could conceivably come after my charges."

Nadia stepped fully into the kitchen and James wasn't sure what her plan was.

"MI6 doesn't really like it that you live here, even if from Moneypenny's own words you have another flat. She called t empty and showing that you don't trust to stay alive, but I call that bullshit. It's a safe house. I know that you and 006 have a few over town. It's where you go to hide from the world."

"You are correct," James said. He wondered how he had never figured out exactly who and what shew as. He had been correct that she was like the family that had taken Q in but she really wasn't and now she was tripping all of James's signs that she was a threat but only to him.

"So what is your angle? You came back without him and he never once said that you were coming here. He always warns me. I just happened to see you getting out of the taxi. So he doesn't realise that you are here. Now you are going to take the twins to MI6 to pick him up and then cook for him and care for the kids. You've never offered to do that before. In fact, the last time that Q asked you to watch them, you said you had plans already. So Agent James Herbert Bond, 007, what the hell is your angle?"

"I-" James closed his mouth and pursed his lips before he walked over to the electric kettle. He set it for black tea and turned it on. It was always full so that Q didn't burn the place down by turning on an empty kettle. James found Q's lesser used travel mug and the supplies to make Q a cup of tea to tide him over on the way home. James knew that Q would need it. "I've never had a home. Not since I was eleven and I've been running from this place as home. I realised this morning that no matter how far I run or how fast, or how many mission I go on. This place will always be home. It never was before, before I faked my death to get away before Q moved in while I had been gone."

"I think that it's the most honest you've ever been with yourself, James. Now since you are taking charge of the kids for the day, I'm going to head to MI6 to see if M needs anything from me. SPECTRE agents still abound, and I am sure that some need killed."

James watched her as she collected her things that she brought with her on a daily basis before she knocked on the twins' door and told them goodbye. James swallowed as he realised that when she left, e was in charge of the twins and if anything happened to hem, Q would likely kill him. THe kettle shutting off told James that it was time to start to get ready himself. He poured the water into the mug and settled the tea strainer full of leaves into it before setting a timer for that. James would be mostly dressed when it went off, but he didn't want to over brew Q's tea, James didn't need that rant.

When the twins were finally ready, they appeared from their bedroom. Amelia was in a pair of jeans with a thick sweater on er upper torso while Ashton had a pair of corduroy pants in a lurid shade of green with a black long sleeve undershirt and a bright pink T-shirt over that. They both looked very much like Q's kids at that moment. James smiled at them. He held out the mug and Ashton ran up and grabbed it before heading to the dor. James held out a sandwich that he pulled from the fridge. Q made them up for him to scarf down for whatever meal he was home and too tired to cook if the kids had already eaten. Amelia grabbed the sandwich. James knew that Q kept guns in the house, in the various safes that James had installed but all the same. James opened the one near the door and pulled a Walther out. He palmed it, and it lit up green before slipping it into his shoulder holster.

The drive to MI6 was longer than James would have liked. The car seats for the kids would not fit in the car that James had on hand, so he borrowed Q's family sedan. The keys were not in it, but inside the flat, so James had to go back up and get them. Traffic was a nightmare, but James wasn't used to the work traffic commute. He either came into work before it or after that.

James parked in a lot that was used for some of Q-Branch staff and found the spot that was Q's with ease. The kids were bouncing on the balls their feet when they waited for traffic to clear let them cross the road. James had been shown the non-boat access to Q's lair after asking Tanner how the hell the cars got out. Tanner didn't realise that James wanted to use it to steal a car.

"Now, little ones," James said as he swiped his card and the doors opened. "I want you two to be quiet when the doors open, and I want you to hide."

"Are we surprising Papa?"

"You are." Jame ushered each of the kids to a corner and as the doors started to open he held up a finger to shush them. Ashton was clutching the mug tightly with one hand, so he covered his mouth with the other. Amelia set the wrapped sandwich down on the floor and covered her mouth with both of her hands. James forced his face to neutral as the doors opened enough to where James could see Q at work at the desk in the middle of the room. James strutted forward, glancing out of the corner of his eyes at the kids.

"Bond?" Q asked and the use of James's last name kind of hurt for a few seconds. The look of wariness on Q's face hurt more though and James wondered exactly how much he had messed up things if the place that he called home was going to be allowed to be his home anymore after this. "I thought you'd gone."

"I did, but there was just one thing I forgot when I left that I need." James wasn't shocked that someone told Q that James had left headquarters.

James stepped halfway across the room as Q came around his desk. Q's eyes darted over, and James was shocked to see the Aston Martin finished. James smiled as he turned toward it to start walking. James darted his eyes up to Q, and he saw such pain on them. James stopped and looked thoroughly at Q, but that pain was gone in seconds. He looked the stern Quartermaster again. Q nodded and turned back to his desk, reaching over the desk and opening a drawer. The trousers that Q was wearing stretched over his ass and James unashamedly turned his head down to get a better look for a few seconds before James made his head snap back where it belonged, and his eyes moved to the middle distance between Q and the car.

Q leaned back up and held out a set of keys to James. It wasn't the same set that James had used to drive the car the last time, those were long gone. Q took a single step closer to James before he stopped and dangled the keys down. James frowned and reached for the keys. Q let them go before James could get close enough to actually snag them. James lunged forward to catch them before they hit the floor. James stood up, straightening his suit jacket as he watched Q walk around the desk to sit down again. Q looked like he was settling in for a long day of work with the mug of tea that he had which was still steaming. There were many snacks scattered a top where Q had spent the night eating them. Q sat down at his desk and started to type.

James stayed where he was, he had never had such an impersonal interaction with Q. James knew that if he stayed where he was Q would eventually look up at him. It took two full minutes for Q to look up and James was pretty sure that the look he got would freeze lava solid in its tracks.

"Was there anything else that I could help you with, Bond?"

"Well, I didn't come for the car, so I have not actually got what I came for."

"You-" Q stopped, and the look on his face fell down to something else. "You didn't come for the car?"

"I didn't figure that it was done. I'm glad that it is as I will love using it again but no I didn't come for the car."

"Then what did you come for?" Q looked at James with a very leery look on his face. James knew then that he really did have a lot to make up for.

"Well, I came to feed and water you before sticking you in the car to take you home."

"What about Miss Swann?" Q didn't move other than his mouth. His hands still on the keyboard of the laptop.

"She's in a safe house of M's choosing somewhere in the city. You've been awake for too long."

"There is much for me to do as far as making sure that Nine Eyes isn't still active in our personal systems."

"R and your other members of the branch can do that, and then after you've slept, you can double and triple check what they have done. You need sleep."

"I will be fine." Q started to type again, and his eyes dropped to look at his screen. James stepped up to set the keys down because there was no way that the kids would fit into the Aston Martin and that meant taking the sedan home. James walked around the desk and reached for the screen on Q's laptop with every intention of shutting it. Q's hand shot out and blocked him from touching hit. James diverted to stand behind Q, setting his arm on Q's upper left arm. As soon as he started to put pressure, he realised that there was something under his suit jacket and it was slightly bulky at the same time that Q screamed and jerked out of James's hold. Q was up and moving around his desk as quickly as he could go, looking at James with a very hurt expression on his face.

"Papa?" Amelia called out as she stepped around the edge of the car lift. Ashton was just a second behind her. They both had their packages in their hands.

"Ash, Melia, what are you doing here?" Q took a step toward them, and it made the both of them run to him.

"WHy did Uncle James hurt you?" Ashton asked as he settled the mug on the desk before wrapping his arms around one of Q's legs. Amelia tossed the sandwich in her hands onto the desk before wrapping her arms around the other leg. Q looked at James with a look of pure shock on his face.

"I didn't mean to hurt him, Ashton. I think that someone else hurt him and I touched that."

"I fell and scraped my knee once and then later Papa hit it when he was walking past me when I was sitting on the couch. That really hurt. I forgive you, Uncle James for hurting Papa. Can I see the booboo?" Amelia looked up at Q with a look of curiosity on her face.

"Once we get home since it seems that Uncle James came all the way here to get me and used you two as bait to seed his trap."

"And tea and a sandwich," Ashton said. Ashton let go of his father's leg to grab the tea and hand it over. Q raised his eyebrows before he accepted the mug and snapped the siping area open so he could take a sip. James was rewarded with a look of mild shock on Q's face as he swallowed. James couldn't help the grin on his face. He walked around the desk to pick up Amelia from where she was finally letting go of her father's leg. James settled her on his chest so that she could lay her head down on his shoulder, where she liked to lay it when James was holding her. Ashton handed over the sandwich next before walking around where James had come from. He tried to get a look at the computer, but Q's hand darted out and shut it. Ashton frowned.

"Why don't you go and find Sniper?" Q asked.

"Is he ready to come home?" Amelia asked, her head shooting up as she looked around. James looked around as well because he had no clue what they were talking about.

"Yes."

Amelia wiggled out of James's arms, and James set her down. They both took off running toward the back of the room.

"Who is Sniper?"

"He is a kitten that was found by 003 on a mission a week and a half ago. He's been staying here because he's a little timid, but he's been doing well with my underlings and spent yesterday in my lap, so I think it's time for him to go home and bother Walther."

"You let 003 name him."

"003 named him before beginning Sniper to me. You didn't bring your car did you?"

"I would never put the twins in my car unless it was life or death. I drove your Sedan."

"You drove me Sedan?" Q looked like he did not believe James on that.

"I did. Don't think that I didn't recognise some of the things you have done to it."

"Well M wanted me to have a car that would protect me if I was attacked at home and get the kids here safe."

"How is the tea?"

"Perfect which frankly shocks me as the last time you made tea it was horrid."

James didn't say that he had done that on purpose so that Q wouldn't ask him to make tea. It wasn't because he hadn't wanted to make it but that he had not wanted to admit how much he paid attention. Q started to pack up a bag but left the laptop on the table and didn't touch it at all. There were a few paper reports as well as a tablet that was dropped into his bag but that was it. James watched him try and sling it over his shoulder but he stopped with a wince.

"How did you get injured?" James tried to think back to the night before but Q had seemed hearty and hale on the bridge, but James had not seen the closer side of him.

"Not here."

James held his hand up in supplication and took a step back to give Q space. When Q was done collecting his things, James stepped up to hand the sandwich back to Q from where he had tossed it. Q unwrapped it and took a bite, his eyes closing in happiness. James was looking forward to getting him home to where Q would be freer with words as well as affection. James would make Q understand that James was all in now.


	15. Chapter 15

_November 2012_

Q drank the tea slowly as James drove them home. The kids kept up a chatter that James was sure was putting Q to sleep. The sandwich had been gone before Q had even exited the car lift. Q utterances to the kids about what they were telling him slowly tapered off but the kids kept on talking. James grinned at them in the rearview mirror at every light or stop sign they came to.

"How are you going to get Papa inside?" Ashton asked as James opened their door on the car after parking back in Q's spot.

"The good old-fashioned way, carry him. I'll need you two to hit the buttons for me and carry your Papa's things."

"I'll get the bag and carrier," Amelia said. Sniper was in the carrier and had been quiet the whole trip. Q's mug had been slipped into his bag after he had finished off the tea.

"I'll get the doors and button." Ashton ran forward to call down the lift. James walked around the car to open up Q's door. Q was dead to the world, and when James shifted him to get a good grip on him before pulling him out, all Q did was give a light snore. James hefted him up and realised that Q did not have as much weight to him as he saved, he wasn't vastly underweight, but there wasn't a lot of muscle built up on him anymore. Amelia walked with James to the lift where Ashton was pressing the hold open button to make sure that it didn't take him up without them. The kids were silent as the lift ascended the building to the penthouse flat.

The doors opening had Ashton running forward to start the process of unlocking the door. The kids had their own codes to the door, and as soon as the lock sounded, James heard Q's phone go off to alert him that the kids had accessed the door. It was a rare occurrence that ey were the ones to open it, so an alert went out. James let the kids go in first before he walked in. Ashton was there to shut the door.

"You two be quiet while I get your Papa to bed." James watched as Amelia set down the carrier and opened the door. Sniper was out of it like a shot and took off across the room and right into Q's bedroom.

"Yes, Sir!" Ashton said with a smile while Amelia just giggled and nodded.

James carried Q into the bedroom. He shut the door, so he could have privacy as he settled Q into sleep. Q still slept in just his pants. James laid Q down on the bed a younger man tried to roll over onto his back as soon as James let go of him. James kept him from rolling over and started to work on Q's tie. Q was not helpful at all as he was still out like a light but at least he wasn't hindering James. Sniper climbed up onto the bedding and watched James.

When Q was naked on the top half of his body, James looked at the bandage on his arm but ignored the urge to look at it.

"James?" Q asked just after James had worked his trousers off. James stopped what he was doing and looked up at Q. Q looked like he was trying to wake up. James skinned Q's socks off of his feet before slipping up the bed. He cupped the side of Q's face and was rewarded with Q's face softening, and he started to go back to deep sleep. James started to lift his hand away, but Qs eyes started to dart when he did. James settled his hand back down on Q's face.

"Sleep, Q. I'll be here when you wake up." James pressed a kiss to Q's forehead and waited for Q's breathing to settle all the way before he got up of the bed. James found the old blanket that Q had used for years at his flat in Hackney and covered him with it. Sniper was right there ducking under the blanket and settling at Q's neck. James watched him sleep for several minutes. He hadn't expected Q to pass out like he did. James knew that he needed to figure out how the hell Q was hurt. For that, he would need to get his laptop out. James hoped that the kids were all right with watching a movie for a little bit.

Two hours later, James wanted to go in and wake Q up because the little shit had actually blocked James from getting into MI6's mainframe at all. James shoved the laptop off of his lap and onto the coffee table before he figured out where the kids were.They were very subdued, probably because of the injury to their father. James's injury was less evident, and James hadn't brought any attention to it. He did not need playing nursemaid to him the way that they did their father. He remembered seeing Q's hands covered in bandages from his two kids helping his boo-boos as they called them.

"Are you two ready to go shopping?" James asked as he stood up. The kids appeared out of nowhere, and James realised that they had been behind the couch which was a favourite reading spot of theirs. James was continually shocked by their reading ability. James knew that Q was a genius, that was the truth. That the kids were reading on their own stage four was a shock. There was a dictionary for when they found a word they don't know but James never really saw them access it.

"Yes," Ashton called out and ran toward the door to grab his and his sister's coats. James still had his gun on him, so he walked to the kitchen to write a note to Q and left it on Q's nightstand beside his glasses before he shut the bedroom door again and looked at the kids waiting patiently. James grinned at them and grabbed his own coat. He had changed out of his suit and was in a thin jumper so he would need a coat with the cold.

James crouched and helped the kids button and zip up because they were going to be walking to the store and not driving. James knew what he wanted to make and the store with the best ingredients was around the corner.

Just as soon as they stepped outside in the frigid November London weather, the twins took hold of James's hands James gripped them tightly, and they started off. James and the twins got a few weird looks as they walked, but James ignored them. There was nothing that was the same in their looks, so James figured that a few looks were of pity because most assumed that the mother had cheated on him.

James wasn't planning on getting a lot of things so as soon as they stepped into the store, James grabbed a basket of each of them. The store had smaller baskets that were for kids, and both of the kids were excited to have baskets of their own. Q kept the flat stocked with staples for Nadia to feed the kids but James had a few other things that he needed for the lunch he had planned for the four of them. Ashton had some food that he didn't like to eat while Amelia hadn't found anything except for the texture of scrambled eggs that she didn't like. Like their father, they were willing to try anything once.

"How do you feel about lasagna?" James asked.

Aston didn't answer, and Amelia just hummed. James stopped to look at them. They were both right there beside him. Ashton was looking thoughtful around the store.

"Papa makes really good lasagna so yes. I want to see what you make and if it's better or worse than Papa's."

"Well, that's a challenge. You two get to pick dessert."

"Okay," the twins answered at the same time. James smiled and used his free and to ruffle Amelia's hair. She glared at him and started to finger comb it, but there was no helping it. She had a wild set of curls like Q's when he let it air dry. Ashton had less wild curls, and when James moved his hand to ruffle his, Ashton snapped his teeth at him and hissed. James laughed.

"Spending too much time Walther huh?" James settled his hand on Ashton's shoulder and pulled him close, giving him a half hug. Amelia looked expectant when he looked at her, so he changed the basket to his other hand and did the same to her. James remembered what it was like o be that young and think that love was someone giving you hugs and being around you.

James felt his phone vibrate so he pulled the kids with him to a spot where they would be out of the way, and he pulled his phone from his pocket. It was Moneypenny calling him.

"Yes, Miss Moneypenny?" James asked instead of saying hello.

"Are you at home?"

"No. I am out with Miss Amelia and Mister Ashton."

"Who?" Moneypenny asked.

James stopped because he hadn't thought that Q's kids were a secret. Especially not from Moneypenny.

"Nevermind," Moneypenny said. She sounded upset. "M wanted me to remind you that you are grounded in London and that you have a follow-up appointment scheduled for this afternoon. Also since you shave kidnapped Q, you get to bring him to yours for his follow up."

"What happened? Last I saw him before he went with M to stop Nine Eyes he was fine. On the bridge, he looked fine."

"After you were taken we were shot at. The window in the car shattered I asked if he was okay and he said he was fine. Come to find out after we had Oberhauser in custody that he left the bridge to get help from being shot. He hacked Nine Eyes with a bullet lodged in his arm. I wanted to box his ears, but he blocked all access to his branch by me. M was quite happy with Q, but I think it was more seeing what Q was made of. The kid is ice-cold when he wants to be. Tanner commented that it wasn't the coldest thing he had done but refused to elaborate on it."

James didn't say anything because he knew what it was that Q had done, turning in his father or maybe even sleeping with the CIA agent just to get the CIA to back off. Tanner could know both of those things.

"What time?"

"Three. They are going to do both of you at the same time to lessen the chance of one of you running. R refuses to lock Q out of his office unless on orders of M. M won't bar him out of it."

"Q knows himself, Moneypenny. If he thinks he can work, he can."

"Sometimes I feel like you know more than you let on with him."

"I know a lot of secret things, and I don't tell them to anyone."

"Is Q okay?"

"Last I saw him he was sleeping. I must go I have very bored people with me that deserve my full attention." James grinned at the kids to see that they were looking around but looked at him when he grinned at them. They grinned back.

"You cad," Moneypenny said before hanging up.

"Who was that?"

"Miss Eve Moneypenny, she works with your father and me."

"Oh, the lady that tries to make Papa sleep and eat like she's his mum. Papa told her once that he would not allow a person to treat him like a child when he wasn't ever treated like a child as a child. She got upset."

"She worries because she is his friend."

The kids said nothing to that. Instead, they started toward the baking aisle.

"What are you two after?"

"You said we got to pick dessert. We need a chocolate shell for the crust. One of those Oreos ones. Then we need Oreos and cream cheese for cheesecake. Papa loves it, and it can be made right when we got home."

James nodded his consent to that. It sounded really good, and t seemed like it was something that the family ate a great deal of the time. He could have the twins help him make that and then help him prepare the lasagna. It would be all very simple and straightforward. It would also be a bonding time for him and her kids.

An hour later, the three of them were walking back into the flat to find that Q had moved from the bedroom and into the living room. He had covered himself up with a blanket that both Walther and Sniper were laying on. The TV was going.

"Papa must have had trouble sleeping. He doesn't have aTV in his room so when he can't sleep he come out and watched the telly and falls asleep," Ashton said in a loud whisper as James shut the door.

"Then we will have to be quiet." James looked at the TV to see that it was something fantasy as the small skinny creature with long hair and large feet was not human at all. James watched it for several more seconds listening to the creature before a memory popped into his head. "Gollum."

"Yes. Papa likes to listen to Return of the King when he has trouble sleeping." Amelia looked very pleased that James knew what the show was.

"Go change and get washed up really good so that you can help me make this Oreo cheesecake."

"Yes, Sir," Amelia said to James before taking off running. James almost told her to stop, but ten h remembered that as long as thro one else about, Q let them run inside. James watched them disappear into their bedroom before he walked over to Q and settled on the edge of the couch. Q looked to e deep asleep. James shooed the cats off of his chest, getting his first real good look at the slightly feral kitten that had been named Sniper. He was pitch black, and his eyes were very dark in colour. He could see why the kitten had been named Sniper.

James lifted Q's injured arm gently and started to unwrap the bandage around it. There was no blood soaked through so James wasn't worried about uncovering the wound. Underneath the wrapping was the plaster that was soaked in blood. James settled the arm across Q's chest before going and getting his medical kit from the bedroom where he hid it behind the head of his bed. James kept a lot of things stocked in there that it could not be good for the twins to get a hold of. He carried the box with him to the living room and opened it and set it on the coffee table. James carefully peeled off the plaster before he grabbed a syringe and a bottle of local anaesthetic that he had nicked from Medical. James numbed up Q's arm quickly. While waiting for it to take effect, James brushed the hair from Q's forehead. He looked so calm and young while sleeping but Jame still felt that bit of desire for him.

Q was unlike any other person in the world to James. James might have watched him grow up, but he had never thought of him with any terms other than job before Q had become of age. It was all simple and easy to love Q. James had just never let himself acknowledge it before. Something had changed in James after Vesper. He had thought that he wouldn't ever want someone again, for more than a quick tumble in the bed. Q had slipped under his carefully built armour in the aftermath of Vesper. There was every chance that Q had been under there the whole time and James had just built the armour around him already.

Cleaning the wound and the stitches that kept the wound closed, James knew that while the bullet might have slowed down because of the glass and going through something else, the bullet had been removed from Q. After getting the caked blood off, James was relieved when the fresh blood didn't ooze as much. He used gloves and cotton to put on a new layer of Medical grade antibacterial. James had looked in Q's bag and found his prescriptions for infection and pain. The infection medicine would be uncomplicated to get him to take but the pain, James was sure that he was going to have a fight on his hands. After placing a new plaster on Q's skin, James leaned over and pressed a soft kiss just above the bandage.

"Papa says that only people who love you kiss your boo-boos," Amelia said as she walked up to James's side and she looked down at her father. "Papa told me that you would never love us the way that we love you. That something in you broke a long time ago, and you can't love anything or anyone but England."

James pulled off the gloves and tossed them onto the pile of debris from cleaning up Q's wound. James would still go to his appointment if only because he wanted to make sure that Q went as well. When he had cleaned up everything around them, James pulled Amelia into his lap.

"I do love England more than I probably should, but I'm finding that I love other things and other people, some more than others. I like you and Ashton, and I can feel the love starting to build up, but I don't love you two yet. Your father though, I love him a great deal, and it's part of why I do what I do. To protect him. Even before he joined MI6, I wanted to make sure that he was safe."

"When are you going to tell him?"

"Soon but that's something that I need to tell him, not one of you two telling him." James tickled Amelia a little before reaching around and pulling Ashton forward. The boy looked a little ashamed at being caught. "You will have to get a lot better before you are able to sneak up on me."

Ashton giggled a little before he leaned into his sister's side. "You'll have to teach me."

"I guess that I will. Now, how about you two teach me how to make this Oreo cheesecake. Go into the kitchen and get your stools ready."

The twins nodded and walked away with only a few seconds of looking at their father each before they did. James carefully applied the wrapping again. Q was still sleeping deeply, the anaesthetic helping him not feel what James had done to the wound site. James wasn't sure what to do. Part of him wanted to make a grand gesture to tell Q that he loved him. That seemed too much for Q. Choosing to play it by ear, James nodded to a sleeping Q and pushed himself up to a standing position before leaning over to slip Q's arm under the blankets again and then make sure he was covered all the way up. James couldn't help pressing a kiss to Q's forehead.

By the time that Q was starting to wake up, the cheesecake was in the fridge firming up lasagna was in the fridge ready to pop into the oven when Q was waking up. James has few snacks ready for him to take his medication before he ate. The twins were working on schooling of some kind, self-paced workbooks that were on a bookcase in the corner at their height. A women's cricket match was playing on the TV with the captions on and the sound off. Ashton was watching the game more than working, but as James was pretty sure they were probably ahead of what they should be at school wise, James wasn't worried. James knew that they were homeschooled and would be for at least a few years before putting them into a private school. They had a group of friends that they played with enough to bolster friendship and keeping them from being too insular. They were also both part of a mixed-gender football group to keep them active.

"James?" Q croaked.

James reached up and squeezed Q's knee to tell him where James was, which was sitting on the couch with Q's legs over his lap.

"You got hurt, Papa," Amelia said as she closed her workbook and turned around to drape herself over Q's stomach. Ashton closed his book but stood up and turned around.

"A bullet ricocheted off the metal in the car we were in. It's more muscles hurting than anything else. Why do I smell cooked meat?"

"You can't have lasagna without meat," Ashton answered. He frowned and took a deep breath. "Well I guess you can if you are a vegetarian, but you've never made us try that before. We've had meatless dishes but not lasagna. Could you make a good meatless lasagna, Uncle James?"

"I could. Maybe we could try that in a few weeks."

"Where is Nadia?" Q tried to sit up, but Amelia was still laying on him. James reached over and pulled her off of her father and into his lap. Q frowned at the way that Amelia went limp in his arms and laid her head on James's shoulder.

"A day off. I'm grounded in London for the time being, and this time I'm actually going to stay in London."

"Why are you here?"

"Isn't this my home?" James asked. He wasn't trying to be an ass, but he was worried after Q thinking that he had run off with Madeleine that this was no longer his home and Q just hadn't got around to telling him yet. Q didn't answer, just stared at James for a few seconds before successfully getting himself to a seated position. James lifted up Amelia so he could get his legs free. Q's stomach growled and that caused both kids to laugh.

"Uncle James made sacks," Ashton called out as he ran towards the kitchen. He came back with a tray of snacks or the four of them.

"Cucumber sandwiches?" Q asked, but he plucked one off the plate and took a bite.

"I figured that they would be light enough for your stomach and keep your pills from upsetting it." James reached over to where he had put out Q's pills into a weekly pill container as well as his vitamins that James had found in the bathroom. He handed over the little cup that had the afternoon pills in it.

"Thank you." Q devoured the first and looked at James before taking a second. James nodded. He had made three for Q and one for each of the rest of them. Between licking the bowl from the making of the filing as well as eating an Oreo each, the twins wouldn't need more than that to tide them over until the lasagna was done.

"I'll get the lasagna in the oven. Want to be my sous chef again?" James asked Amelia, bouncing her in his lap for a few seconds to make her giggle.

"Yes."

"Good. Ashton, you are on nursemaid duty.."

"Oh man," Ashton said with a mocking tone to his voice. They had already picked what they wanted to do. There was little to do but get up and do what he said. Amelia followed behind James. James turned on the oven and started it preheating while Amelia was careful in getting the pans out of the oven. Instead of making one large pan, James had found two half cake pans and used them. James had directed the kids through layering, and each had worked in their own pan.

It had been a lot of fun for James, and it was something that he found he loved. He could see why his own mother had loved it. The look of pride on Ashton and Amelia's faces had filled a spot inside of James that he never knew existed and now it was being greedy. Never having this made James not know what he was missing but now that he did, he wanted it. He wanted it all. Q and his little family seemed to be willing to give it, or at least the little family was, James was unsure on Q at the moment. Ashton came running into the kitchen and grabbed the pitcher of tea that James had made. Next, he climbed up to grab a glass. James watched him carefully pour out three-fourths of a glass before climbing back down. Ashton put up the pitcher and then carefully picked up the glass and started back into the living room.

"So I forget, Sous Chef, where is the foil?" James remembered where it was, but it gave Amelia something to do. Amelia crouch to get the foil from the bottom cabinet that was by the fridge. She came back over with it and set it down on the counter. James covered both of the pans and looked at the oven. The temperature was close enough him happy for sticking the pans in. James opened up the oven and grabbed a pan, handing it to Amelia. James covered his lips with a finger and shushed her. Amelia giggled and waited until James had slipped his pan inside before setting up to do hers as well. She was careful and stay well away from all surfaces inside of the oven. When the pan didn't slide all the way in, James handed her a pot holder and mimed pushing it in. Amelia was just as careful with it and touched the pan to shove it in, having the larger side of the potholder hanging down, so it touched the wire inside of the oven and not her hand.

James figured that someone either Q or Nadia had taught them about ovens and how to not get burned. Q seemed very much of the proactive parent who instead of telling a child no would explain why, in terms, they would understand. Q might never have seen children in his future, but it seemed that he embraced them with open arms.

"You injected me with something," Q said as James entered the living room after getting lunch in the oven. Q was dressed in a button up shirt and a pair of sleep pants. It took James a few seconds of looking to realise that it was one his button-up shirts, one of the clean ones. James could see it as Q moving his arm would hurt like a son of a bitch, so a t-shirt or pullover of any kind was probably out of the question. James's shirts would be looser on Q and easier to slip over his injured arm.

"Local numbing so I could clean on the wound without waking you up. I have the syringe and the bottle if you want to look at it." James stared at Q as Q stared at him for a minute before Q nodded. James wasn't sure if he was nodding for accepting it or nodding because he wanted to see what he had been injected with.

"Ashton is putting your kit you left out on your bed. I wasn't aware that you had kind of thing in here."

"I keep it hidden and will know if the kids are into it at all. I keep a pretty stocked kit on hand."

"Because you hate going to Medical."

"Speaking of Medical," James said with a grin on his face. He sat down where he had been before. Q was up, and while he was still facing James, he was only taking up two cushions with his body and legs. James reached out and cupped his hand over Q's exposed foot. Q's eyes darted down to it for a few seconds before going back up to James's face. "We have appointments today. Me to get my head looked at and you your arm. We will be keeping them."

"Who is going to watch Ash and Melia?"

"I thought that we could take them into MI6 with us while we are getting checked out. A few nurses on hand would be willing to watch them if you don't want them in the room with you."

"Only Mallory and Tanner know about them and my new R, she started today. The poor woman starting in the middle of all of this." Q looked around the room, and James followed suit realising that neither of the kids was in the room with them. James raised an eyebrow at Q. "Probably in their room."

"Why doesn't anyone else at MI6 know about them?"

"I don't want pity, and single father brings out pity in people. I've debated telling people that I adopted them but then that brings out why the hell I would do that as a single man. Though R has known about them for years."

"The same woman from that night where you turned over people for hacking the Met?" James asked. James knew that it was a calculated risk by revealing it, but he didn't care, he wasn't going to go into any form of a relationship with Q without the truth being known between them.

"The same. Rene is her name, but she's gone by R for years because she hates it. Much like I hate Walmond and go by Q, even before I became Quartermaster. Mallory kind of laughed when he read my full file, which M tried to hide from me but never could. I knew from the moment I say you in classes that you were someone deadly. I stayed away because I wasn't sure that you were there for me and then you started to run near the same time as me and were in all of my classes. Then you'd be gone for a little, and a new person would take over, but they wouldn't go to class. I knew the first time that you hacked my computer, and when you tried to hack MI5 and MI6, I threw you out for laughs."

"So you've known that I was MI6 for how long?"

"The first time that I broke into your dorm room on campus that first year."

James looked at Q in shock on that he had never noticed that someone had broke in. He started to change his opinion of Q in that few seconds, seeing him for who he was.

"My father taught me how to pick locks from a very young age. It wasn't until I turned five that I started to figure out that he wasn't good. Then Mom died, and I knew that something was wrong. I started to hack him first, his partition on the computer that we had. When I had everything compiled, I sent it all to MI6 after hacking them. It was the third time I had done so."

"Why did it take so long for MI6 to put you and Query together?"

"You know that hackers have set ways of doing things. Query is my natural way of doing things; it's what I know. However, I had started to form another way of doing things so that I could do things and not have them trace back to Query if I didn't want it to. I had that before I went to college. It made things easier and harder at the same time. No one was going to find me until I wanted them to. When I dropped my application on M's desktop, I made sure that she knew exactly everything that I had kept from MI6. You were harder to keep things from, I didn't mean to tell you about Query that night but I remembered in the morning that I did and I waited, but nothing happened. You kept that from MI6."

"You weren't doing anything to harm England and went out of your way to make sure that you never did. Hell, you turned in your father. You made yourself an orphan of sorts for England. I couldn't see you doing anything to harm it. So I kept your secrets as long as they didn't harm England."

"The kids who gave me the drugs were brought up on charges later. Caught in a web of instances like it."

"I made sure that M knew what happened and she made sure that the right authorities were told. While our scope is outside the borders of England, letting fires burn at home despite protecting home from foreign entities is stupid, and M knew that. There is nothing left to protect if England burns because of the negligence of what happens inside of England."

"Smart and very adaptive of M. Mallory seems to hold the same thought process. The Double-O program was reinstated as of early this morning. I'm sure that once Mallory gets over being upset about what happened, he will offer you your job back."

James looked at Q and tried to figure out where Q's head was at but James couldn't. Q wasn't looking him in the eye, he was holding back, and James didn't like it. James shifted his hold on Q's foot to where he was cupping both in his hands and lifted them. Q's face turned fully to look at James with a hesitant look in his eyes. James settled the feet on the other side of James's legs. He didn't push for more contact between them.

"I didn't quit, Q. I took Madeleine somewhere safe, and she'll be there until MI6 helps her get a new identity underway and a new life where she wants. The remnants of SPECTRE are everywhere, and until it's safe, it's not good for her to be known to be linked to her father. She's getting a new life, and I am staying here."

"I'm shocked you aren't following her." Q tried to lift his feet, but James kept a hold of them, settling them over his lap all the way. Q had that look back on his face that said that he wasn't sure what the hell James was doing.

"Why would I follow her when here in London I have everything that I never knew that I needed." James moved even closer to Q, wrapping an arm around Q's waist and pulling him up and into his lap, taking care of making sure that he didn't hurt Q's hurt arm again. Q gasped as James settled him onto his lap. "I have everything that I need right here in this flat."

"James?" Q asked as he settled both of his hands on James's shoulders to help hold himself up and away from James as much as he could. "What are you doing?"

"Something I should have done months ago." James leaned in an kissed Q's cheek. "I am saying that I should have told you this months ago. I should have stopped running when you saved me from Silva's island. When you gave me a home that I could come home to with no strings. All you wanted was to give me a safe place, and I treated it like something I should run away from. It took me seeing my past for what it was to understand what my future is."

"And what is your future?" Q asked.

"I have three years left until mandatory retirement from the Double-O program. I thought that at one point it was the end of my career and the end of my life. I don't see that darkness looming anymore."

"I'm tired from days on end of working, and you are being obtuse on purpose."

James was finding it hard to say the words. He knew the words, he knew what he needed to say but saying it was hard. James reached up and gripped Q's chin to make Q look at him. Q's eyes were a wealth of knowledge to his thoughts, but right then, James could see nothing in them at that moment.

"Do the kids always hide in their room for long periods?"

"I'm sure that they knew something was weird and are giving us time to talk. If this is what we are doing."

"It is what we are doing I'm just extremely bad at it." James trailed his fingers from Q's chin to his cheek before he cupped said cheek before he rubbed at the dark circle under Q's eye. It was simple to do, but it felt terrific to James. To touch freely.

"I've never known you to admit that you are bad at anything."

"I don't like admitting I am bad at anything but with you I don't feel like you are going to stab me in the back for it."

"Even after what I did to my father? Most would assume that I couldn't stay loyal to anyone."

"You've been loyal to England and loyal to me since you knew about me, which I am upset that I've never knew about."

"I do want to say I am sorry for feeling you up when I was high. I've never taken anything like it ever again. I stick to the alcohol you kept giving me, and that's it. Medical has down my reaction to medicine like that and make sure not to give them to me unless it's necessary."

"You were cute, and I just wanted to make sure that no one was going to come after me and send the cops for me taking an underage, high student to a room alone."

"You protected me for years. I found your gun in your safe in your dorm room. Walther PPK short. It's why Walther is named like he is." Q started to relax in James's lap and looked at him with a fond look in his eyes. James missed that fond look since after the end of the Skyfall debacle.

"I wondered where his name came from." James reached up with his other hand and cupped Q's other cheek. He rubbed that dark circle as well. "You need more sleep."

"I know. I'm looking forward to eating and then sleeping."

James slipped his hands back to cup the back of Q's head and pulled him down to rest his head on James's shoulder. Q deflated down into James's body, and his breath ghosted over James's skin. It felt good. It felt right.

"I love you," James said.

Q's body tensed, but he relaxed when James did nothing else, said nothing else.

"I've loved you since I was fourteen, James. I stayed away because I knew that I needed to greet you on your turf for you to even acknowledge me at all. I worked my hardest to get where I am, but I will not lose my career over you."

"I don't plan on you losing it. Even if you do cater to me more than you should."

"I don't do it just for you. I do it for all of my Double-O's. And they are mine. They were the ones who watched over me when I was young, while the names and faces have changed, I love them all the same. They are what stands between England and chaos of our enemies. I will always make sure that they have what they need." Q pulled out of James's hold and looked at him. He ran his hands through James's hair. "I have lived with this love for a long time, and I can live with it for the rest of my life, whether we do anything or not. You've had your world turned on end with the rewriting of your past. I will not be your last ditch effort to have a family because I am safe and you know that I would stay with you."

"I don't think that you would stay if I didn't love you. I don't expect you to just drop into my life and slot yourself into whatever you have built up in your head that I want."

"You treat sex like it's something that you do as a hobby and I won't be doing that. You will only come into my bed for sex when I want it."

"Of course," James said keeping his face straight. He had thought that he would have a great deal more of wining and dining to get Q to even look at him after it seemed he took James's way of acting after Skyfall and what Q thought happened with Madeleine.

"When it comes to work you will keep your hands to yourself. I will not become fodder for the gossip mill of MI6 before I am ready. If you mess up, I will make you regret it."

"Of course." James swallowed as Q leaned his just a little bit, seemingly like he was going to kiss James.

"I won't demand obedience in work because you have never been obedient at all at work however when we are home, and it involves the children I expect you to do as I say or as Nadia says."

"They are yours, and I would never go against your wishes unless it is small amounts of candy snuck to them."

"They have limits on that, on sugar in general but I am not a tyrant. Dessert is allowed after lunch and dinner."

"No just a tyrant when it comes to your tech." James closed the distance between their lips a little more, but Q didn't come any closer.

"I've gone by Q for years, and while I don't mind Wallie I don't like it that much but if you must call me it, do. The kids are used to me answering to Q and Wallie."

"I've called you Q in my head for years so that will not be an issue."

"R is the only friend that I have that I keep in any form of contact with so you won't need to worry about keeping a cover around anyone except those that I live in this building with, but since they are mostly scared of you I don't see an issue with that."

"I'll be a good boy," James said with a smirk.

"If I believe that I would be too gullible to ever be around you. You do what you want when you want, and I know that, but I am serious when it comes to working. If you are good and don't fondle me inappropriately, I will allow displays of affection in my branch when I am more comfortable with it all." Q brushed his lips over James's hesitantly. James let him do what he wanted because he didn't want Q to back off. James was well aware of what kind of relationships Q had, and it was basically none. The brief affair where he seemingly let a CIA seduce him into bed to rid himself of his virginity, as well as the agent, was calculating but it risked nothing of his heart. This was it all on the line. It was all or nothing. Q called himself in love with James and James was sure that Q knew his own heart and his own mind but being in love with someone you didn't live with, didn't really spend any time with was different than having a living breathing man in the flat.

Q gripped the short hairs on the back of James's head and held him still, his other hand came around to James's neck and gripped his chin hard, holding him precisely as Q wanted him. James let his hands drop down to Q's hips to keep him there as Q ducked his head down to kiss James for real this time. Q's tongue slipped inside of James's mouth, and James couldn't hold back the moan at the taste of him. He could taste the tea that James had made as well as the cucumber sandwiches, but there was something underneath that was all Q and James remembered it from that stupid Halloween party.

James pulled out of Q's hold and looked at him. Q just raised an eyebrow asking why his fun had been stopped with no words.

"You knew exactly who I was at that party. You sat in my lap and tried to what?"

"I wanted to see what I could get you to do. Those idiots were no subtle at all on their trying to drug people. They were arrested later that night after giving a laced cup to an undercover cop who had been warned of what was going on there. I made sure that no one else was hurt that night and then I lured you in. I didn't plan on falling asleep in that bed nor was my plan to have you have sex with me. I wanted a nice makeout session and then sleep, but I fell asleep too quickly. It really sucked."

"Just not in the way you wanted," James said.

"Cad." Q pushed on James's shoulder but he smiled, and that fond look was still on Q's face. That look more than anything else told James how much Q cared for him. Q was staring into James's eyes before he smiled. "I don't expect monogamy."

"Q," James said, and he pushed himself to sit up more. This was not where he was expecting any of this to go. James was no addicted to sex to where he would have to seek it out until Q finally decided that he wanted sex with James. "I-"

Q covered James's mouth with his whole hand, and James heard the hiss realising that Q had used his hurt arm. James reached up and pulled the hand free of his mouth.

"Let me speak," James said.

"Let me explain what I meant before your male ego becomes hurt without understanding what I meant," Q said with a glare. James raised his hands to show surrender before he settled them back on Q's hips. "You use sex as a weapon in the field, and I do not expect you to stop. I want my agents to have every single damned thing that they need that will bring them home. I do expect you to drop the string of married women and men that you have around the city, that I do expect monogamy on. What happens in the field stays in the field unless you do stupid things that you don't need to because you don't listen to my people or me."

"I see what our first fight is going to be about." James did reckless things all of the time, and he had reasons, but he didn't like to stop and explain those reasons when he was in the field. He made split-second decisions and trusted his gut more than anything else in the world.

"Riding a motorbike on top of that bazaar wasn't stupid, no matter what anyone else says. You kept yourself safe and the civilians around you. Those men cared nothing for lives except for their own. There is a difference but doing stupid things like you used to do in the field will not be tolerated. I will bench your ass so fast that you will feel like your head is spinning if I think you are reckless with your life. That's what this is James; you are promising me to do everything that you can to come home and safeguard my heart. My children's hearts because no matter what you have tried to do, they love you."

"Because of the wild stories that you have told them about me."

"I told them the truth, as much as they can know it. They don't need to know that the man you saved me from had tried to drug me to rape me before passing me around to his friends. But they knew that you are my knight in shining Armani."

James laughed before leaning in to nuzzle at Q's neck, nipping just a little there as he tried his hardest to resist the urge to pick Q up and deposit him on the couch on his back to show Q what he was missing by denying James sex. James understood what Q was asking of him though. There were too many relationships of James's that only had sex as a reason for existing. It was horrible, and James wanted this relationship to last for the rest of his life, no matter how long or short it was. James did pull Q in closer to him and hugged him. Q wrapped his arms around James's neck and hung on tight to him. It felt good. It felt right, and for the first time in James's life, he had no regrets on what he was doing or what he was feeling.

Time was lost as they stayed there like that, right up until they heard the feet of the kids as they tried to sneak out of their room to probably sneak up James and Q. Q pulled back but didn't get off of James's lap. Instead, he just looked at James with that fond look still in place. James figured that it was what Q looked like when he was in love.

"I'll do whatever I can to make you want to want me, Q but I won't push it. I'll respect the distance that you want."

"Good. I do like a good snog though. We can do that before retiring to our rooms and take care of our erections with quick handjobs."

"Rooms? Oh, no, Q room. I figure that Ashton can have my room if he wants it. I want to feel you in my arms every single morning that I am here in London, even if for the next while that is going to be every day. I want you, and I love, and I want to know you are safe in my arms."

"Romantic, I'm still going to sleep in my pants. You aren't going to stop me from that. I don't care what you sleep in, but you must have pants on just in case the kids come in. I do expect to be fucked into the mattress when I finally let you take me to bed like that."

"Of course. Since I'm grounded in London, why don't you give Nadia a break for a little. I can shuttle them around and work on their lessons I am sure."

"You don't know what you are getting yourself into, but we can try it tomorrow when I go to give the full debrief on exactly what Nine Eyes was to the nine countries that had approved it to launch in their homes. I will be gone from around ten to three or four. Dinner ready at six would be lovely if this lasagna is worth eating."

"You've not had my cooking, and already you are mocking it?"

"You made me cold tea, James. Cold tea." Q said it in the same tone that James had heard him say agent down the single time he had. It made James want to smile, but that would not serve him at the moment as Q would take it badly.

"So you could use it to take your pills. I will gladly make you hot tea to go with lunch. Which if you want hot tea with it, I will need to get up now and do it as well as add the cheese topping to the lasagna. Sous Chef where are you?" James had been tracing the two of them around the room as they snuck around to bunk down behind the couch.

"Here!" Amelia jumped and pushed herself up and over the back of the couch to land on the cushion beside James and Q. She was on her back with her legs away from them.

"I see this," James said with a grin. Ashton walked around the couch like a normal person, and he looked a little wary of James and Q and how they were sitting. He sat down on the spot on the other side of James though. "And there is Nursemaid Ashton. So while SOus Chef Amelia and I are working on getting lunch ready, you have a vital job, Ashton. Your job is to make sure that your sister and you as well as your father have everything that will be needed for another expedition across town to our work. I think that the mug will be needed and snacks and something to entertain the three of you. Do you think you can do this very serious mission?"

Ashton smiled and nodded his head so much that James was shocked that he didn't have whiplash. James reached out and ruffled his hair, making Ashton slip off the couch to get away from him. Amelia darted away before he could do the same to her, so he focused on Q.

"And your job is to stay right here on this couch."

"I got shot in the arm not the leg, James."

"Indulge me, please. My heart stopped when I hurt you, and I didn't mean to. I couldn't figure out what happened."

"I bandaged it up and got on with the job; no one else was going to be able to stop Nine Eyes. I had to do what I did, and it meant pushing away the pain. On the bridge, after you chose not to shoot Oberhauser, I sought out Medical, ours not the city ones. That was the only reason I left; I couldn't take the pain anymore."

"I thought that you had left me, that you were turning your back on me. Then I came back here, and I woke up with the kids in my bed, and I knew that no matter what this was home. My home is where you and the kids are."

"I love you, James Bond," Q said before he ducked his head down to brush a chaste kiss on James's lips. James cupped the sides of his face to hold him right there.

"I love you as well, Walmond St. Clair."

# The End

**Author's Note:**

> I write fanfiction for fun. It's a hobby and a stress relief. I refuse to stress over my writing. What you see is what you get. Errors, plot holes, and all. Thank you for reading my story! 
> 
> I can be found on Facebook, [here](https://www.facebook.com/darkjediqueen) & my writing page is [here](https://www.facebook.com/darkjediqueenlair). 
> 
> Sign-ups for authors and artists have begun for Every Fandom Big Bang, which accepts pairings from any fandom! Our motto is "Your fandom fits our bang!" The story minimum word count is only 5K with no max. For more information or to sign up go to [Every Fandom Big Bang](https://everyfandombangs.wordpress.com) on WordPress. Stories can be posted here. So, if you don't have a WordPress account, it's not a big deal. Sign-up ends at the end of September!


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